Time with Jesus - Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Hi all,
Song of Solomon speaks about the little foxes that ruin
the vineyard. What are they for you and me? We have a love relationship with
Jesus Christ in our own personal vineyard; that secret place where we go to
share our love with Him. Our love is more than an intellectual nodding
relationship. It should be passionate and experiential. But we allow things
into our lives which spoil our love relationship. Usually these are
distractions and sin. These are our little foxes. We examine this in more
detail in this morning’s meditation.
Blessings,
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – Tuesday, 30 October 2012
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
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©
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These
devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright
protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it
is for non-commercial Christian purposes
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©
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY
LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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LITTLE
FOXES
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It is
commonly believed that Oliver Cromwell, when he was Lord Protector of England,
gave a very clear instruction to his portrait painter, Sir Peter Lely. It
seems that Cromwell’s face was not particularly attractive. It was disfigured
by ugly warts. Portrait painters in those days always tried to do their best
to make the subject look good. So if there was anything unsightly, the defect
would not be shown on the canvas. It is believed that Cromwell told Lely to
paint him, “Warts and all”. Today we would talk about spin doctors who are
paid for making the person look better than they really are. It’s the
difference between truth and a “snow-job”.
Traditionally,
Song of Solomon was written by King Solomon as a young man. The book is said
to be a sort 950BC description of the physical relationship between a man
(the King) and the woman he loved. It’s a bit “racy”, But if you look beyond
the physical descriptions you read of the passionate love Jesus has for the
woman of His choice; the Bride of Christ.
There
is a sense in which it could be written no other way. How do you describe
God’s love for anyone or anything? We know it is not an intellectual appreciation
of love between a man and his wife. It cannot be. It must reflect, in some
incredible way, how Jesus feels about his people. He loves us passionately in
a way we can’t quite understand. The way newly-weds feel about each other on
honeymoon. It is said that they try and “eat” each other. But how do you
describe the love of Jesus for His people? Certainly not coldly and
dispassionately. It must be described in understandable language. This way cannot
be a full description. We wouldn’t be able to grasp that anyway. So,
describing it inadequately using a medium we all understand is more or less
all that can be done. It is described to us “warts and all”. With all the defects
that are inevitable when God seeks to convey truth to His people! So God uses
the language of the bed-chamber so that we can get the “feel” of what He is
saying to us.
The
little foxes are the intrusions into the physical relationship brought about
by our circumstances. For you and me, the little foxes are sin. Sin always
comes between God and His people. Paul wrote, 5 So put to death the
sinful, earthly things lurking within you.
Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires.
Don't be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of
this world. Colossians 3:5 NLT. Sin
is idolatry. It means we are worshipping another god. It is the same as
adultery. We can’t passionately love Jesus while we are in sin! Such little
foxes must be excluded.
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
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15 Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they
ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming!
Song of Solomon 2:15 NLT
12 But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden
faults.
Psalms 19:12 TNIV
15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God;
that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by
it many become defiled;
Hebrews 12:15 ESV
7 You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting
you from the true course of obedience?
Galatians 5:7 MSG
6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work
within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day
when Christ Jesus returns.
Philippians 1:6 NLT
27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of
Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of
you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by
side for the faith of the gospel,
Philippians 1:27 ESV
5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of
great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6
And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.
The tongue is set among our members, staining the
whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by
hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and
sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless
evil, full of deadly poison.
James 3:5-8 ESV
6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned
with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Colossians 4:6 TNIV
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All the little foxes that come and spoil the vine,
Are like the little errors that spoil the love of mine
For Jesus and His Kingdom. We know that they are sin.
And illustrates the difficulty you and I are in.
The lovely book of poetry which Solomon once wrote,
Speaks about two lovers. The one a man of note,
The other of a maiden and how they both relate,
Loving one another like husband and his mate.
The lover in the poem is like Jesus Christ above.
Speaking with a passion, about His awesome love,
For the one He’ll marry as soon as He returns.
It speaks about the fire, that deep inside Him burns,
To be with His beloved for whom He gave His life
And live with her forever as husband and His wife.
The poem shows the problems, hindering the pair.
And of those tender moments, when no one else is there.
Of how the little foxes often come between,
The Lord and His beloved; the one who’ll be His queen.
All the other verses describe just what will be,
If we will continue with our quest for purity.
The Scriptures tell us plainly of the sins which we commit.
They damage our relationship and render us unfit
To being with our “husband” and fails the find His grace,
If any root of bitterness comes in to take His place.
We’d been running perfectly, but we have been deflected.
The course of true obedience in us was not detected.
We’d become unworthy of the Gospel of the Lord.
Only by repentance we will not face His sword!
It seems our biggest problem is the wagging of the tongue.
Gossip is unrighteous; it places us among,
Those who worship idols; the things their hands have made.
Just to think about it, should make us feel afraid.
The tongue that worships Jesus, must never worship Baal.
That’s a certain practice which causes love to fail.
Can you see the foxes that suddenly appear,
Spoiling our relationship? They stop us drawing near,
To the only person on Whom we can depend?
Our everlasting Lover, our Saviour and our Friend.
Jim Strickland
Written
30th October
2012
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