The LORD longs to be with us. He just really really really wants to be with us. To know us, as He does, and for us to know Him. He wants to be with us so much, he will wait until we do come.

In Pray the Bible the other day (0745-0815 Monday-Thursday 596 W Hastings 3rd Floor - join us if you are in the area - a great way to start your morning) we dived into Song of Songs. This is not my favorite genre of PTB...I'm more the War-Cry-Stir-It-Up-Warrior type person. But as we were praying SoS I fell in love with Jesus...again. It's like marriage, so I'm told, your love for your lover just grows and grows...and when you think you love them as much as you can, you lover does something amazing and your love for them deepens...

I just really love the Lord. In the middle of chapter 2 Solomon writes "Rise up my darling, Rise up, come away with me my fair one"...And I began to cry. Everything in me wants to rise up and come away with my lover but it is so easy to believe the lie that I am not worthy to rise up, that I am not worthy to be with my lover.

But the truth is I am with Him. I am my beloveds and he is mine. And I do want to rise up. I do want to be with him. I want to do this because I love him so much. Intimacy is the turning point for change.

Let me say that again - INTIMACY IS THE TURNING POINT FOR CHANGE.

I don't want to change so I can be with him. I want to change because I am with him. (I made that one up myself - its good eh!)

Husbands do things like this all the time for their wives, and visa versa. In the movie "Shall We Dance" this big foot-ball guy is asked why is he taking ballroom dance lessons, as an elegant dancer didn't really fit his forte of life...his response was that he was doing it for his fiance. The reason he was willing to subject himself to something was for the sake of his lover.

Its the same with the Lord. I will rid myself of all unrighteousness for the sake of my lover. I will do whatever it takes to be with Him - not because I'm told to, or because it is the right thing to do - but because I love him so much.

God is Here
Grace,
Nicole

Currently Reading - Well nothing yet, I finished up Ill Fight and Beauty for Ashes (haha I know its about time) - but I'm looking at picking up Helps to Holiness by Samuel Logan Brengle in the next few days.