Song of Solomon 2:16 – My beloved is mine, and I am his . . .

THEME OF THE DAY: HOW WE WALK WITH THE LORD. The Bible says a lot about the theme of the day but three things may summarize the “how to” in our walks with the Lord; “Live by the Spirit, deny the flesh, and obey His commands.” Yet, there is a starting point of understanding which must be in our hearts and minds before these become patterns of daily conduct. There is something, actually the main thing, to get settled first in our affections and thinking. And that main thing is love. The Christian life and walk is all about love but a love not of human initiative or knowledge. It is a love originating with God, flowing from God, and marked by holiness. This means a love not tainted with the sin of selfishness; not driven by a personal gain agenda; not conditional based on the conduct of the one loved; and not looking for anything in return. It is a love which is sacrificial at great personal cost and always, without fail, gives for the benefit of the object it places itself on. It isn’t difficult to see how different human love is when compared to the love of God. And when this love is the controlling factor in the Christian, the three things summarizing our walk with the Lord – “live by the Spirit, deny the flesh, obey His commands” – become motivated, energized, and sustained by holy love. It is only the power of divine love which will empower us to be faithful in saying “no” to the flesh, “yes” to the Spirit, and “yes” to obeying the Lord’s command. Without this source of divine strength, the Christian life becomes one of external performance, joyless routine, and lived in the strength of always inadequate self-sufficiency. Yet, there is a starting point if we are to be empowered to walk daily with the Lord characterized by joy, purpose, and influence. This point of understanding is found in today’s scripture.

The book Song of Solomon portrays the intimacy of a marriage between a man and woman who are madly in love with each other. The language is riveting; the imagery vivid; and the intensity of their love for one another easily grasped. The Puritans often interpreted this book as a picture of the marriage between our Lord Jesus and His church; His bride. I would strongly encourage us to read the book from that interpretive lens. It will show us a depth of God’s love for us in His Son that perhaps we have not experienced before. One of those depths is in today’s scripture and defines the starting point of understanding how to walk with the Lord Jesus in holy, flesh-destroying, world-weaning love.

Did we wake-up today and realize we are not our own? Does the thought grip our hearts daily that our Lord Jesus owns us; all of us, that He bought us with His precious blood? We are His possession to be at His disposal for His purposes, not some of the time, but all the time? Our Christian lives would be so radically changed if we entered each day with the keen awareness and glad submission to the truth; we are God’s people, God’s property, through and through. This would free us from selfishness. It would liberate us from being consumed and absorbed with the joy-stealing life of living for self. But there is more . . . and get ready to be overwhelmed with praise. Read what else Solomon says about “possession” in our relationship with the Lord. He writes, “My beloved is mine.” Get ahold of this. Not only are we the Lord’s possession, but He is ours. The Lord Jesus is not ashamed to be owned by us. He is not reluctant to have us call Him, “Our beloved.” What a thrill to the soul, and a motivation to love God with all our hearts, minds, and souls to be able to say with child-like faith these words of David, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2). Ponder the personal possessions David takes of his God; his rock, fortress, deliverer, shield, salvation and stronghold. And then marvel that his possessions are also ours!

How to walk with God? It doesn’t start with what we do, but on what we know and who we behold. And what do we know? God owns us and we own Him. And who do we behold? The God who is love inviting us to this incredible experience of dual possession; we being His, and Him being ours.

PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for loving me and allowing me to love You.”

QUOTE: “The Christian life is a walk of love marked by holy obedience”