"The Withdraw!" -2.0

 "I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer." (S.O.S. 5:6)

  "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9) 

  Let's just call that, Breaking the Ice! Or, as my mother would always say, "If you can't say anything nice about someone, don't say anything at all." GOD IS ALWAYS GOOD! Even when we don't feel Him; even when we don't think He is there; and, even most definitely, when we don't think He is working! Silly us, we always look for signs and wonders; hoping that we can somehow participate in what is going on, or at least be caught up with the progress. But we sometimes, (most times,) forget we are part of the work of art! We are not meant to see what is being painting, because we are on the canvas! 

  If I had a nickel for all the lame and weak thoughts I ever had about God's provision and whether or not He would come through, I might be able to retire by now; but as it is, I don't see that happening for at least 3 more years. Then again, where is retire in the Bible? I know, it is: "And he rested with his fathers!" Every last bit of breath in me, needs to be productive and making myself available to be used of God; otherwise, I need to go Home where I belong! If we are not doing, then we should be done! 

  Anywho: that is what I am feeling, and I will leave it there for now. Moving on, we must be more than just a something to Someone, because God's love for you and I, is personal! Yes, you are a blot upon the canvas, but you are His special something, worth more than anything! If it cannot be explained or seen, it wouldn't be worth looking for, and it surely wouldn't be worth dying for; but this is not about what you cannot explain or see: this is about what we know and live, because He lives inside of you! 

  That said, I might have a simple illustration. If you have ever played with magnets when you were younger, the ones that were rectangle with opposite ends; then you can probably remember how you would play with them on the table, chasing one with the other, and unable to get them to connect. And then you flipped that one magnet around: WHAM! There you are, stuck, and made as One! 

  You don't get to become a Big Mac by going to McDonalds, but you do get to be a child of God by going to Christ! I am a child of God; yes I am! By the way, in that illustration, who turned...

"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commandeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath though him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more, being reconciled we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God though our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." (Romans 5:6-11) 

"The Withdraw!"

"I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave no answer." (S.O.S. 5:6)

  "Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." (Isaiah 41:10)  

  Yes, it is sometimes ironic, but we must know something about how God works: Sometimes we are in need of a little distress in our lives, to cause us to see where our real strength comes from! Crazy is as crazy does! You might have heard that before and thought it was in reference to acting crazy; but in reality, it is asking the meaning of crazy, and who might define it: "Crazy is in the eye of the beholder," if you will. 

  Interesting enough, the word distress is kind of interesting, because it can be used as a noun, adjective, or a verb, without even changing the properties of the word. For example: It is a noun when used as, "After the stock market crash, he found himself in great financial distress," or is a adjective when we say, "The distress of the livestock has caused distress in the meat prices," or to be a verb, it is formed as, "She used an old bicycle chain to distress the surface of the table before applying a deep stain." 

  Anywho: unfortunately, ashamed is only used in one form, as an adjective! Not that this is some sort of a lesson in grammar; but to totally understand what happens and why, we sometimes need to completely know from which direction it comes and goes! ADECTIVE: Typically serving as a modifier of a noun; which typically means that it does not stand by itself, because it is relation to, or functioning as: you name it! Clear enough? 

  You cannot even imagine all this stuff going through my mind! But, in the long-short of it all, this is by far the greatest piece of work I think I have ever seen in my life: I think I need to step back and get a little better look at it...

"What shall we say then? (Distress!) That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? (Distress!) Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at the stumblingstone; (Distress!) As it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion and stumblingstone and rock of offense: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." (Romans 9:30-33) 

"The Bolt!" x2

 "I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock." (S.O.S. 5:5)

  As we prepare for our Lord's soon return, it is important to know the signs of His coming; not to make our anticipation sharper, but to make our appreciation more evident! If, like me, you know His return is very soon, then that which motivates your life and gives you hope, must be that which is humanly not obtainable. Simply put, that which we have obtained through Christ, is not something that can be gotten in this world, no matter how rich you are or how many people you might know, only through Christ can you obtain it. 

  That is the just of what I see here, as the odor left upon that bolt, is just that, nothing short of  holy! It can only be given by Jesus Christ; nothing else will ever be the equal, nothing can even come close! As that old saint says, "When Christ has wrought powerfully upon a soul he leaves a blessed sweetness in it, which is very delightful to it. With this he oiled the lock, to make it go easy." In ways we can never really translate, we are given keys to life eternal; keys not known or available, but by the sweetness of having been given them by Christ. 

  It might be closely associated with what Jesus said, when He said, "My sheep hear my voice," as He alone has the words, or keys, if you will, to eternal life! As it is said, "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him." Because you have got to taste Him, before you can see Him; once you see who He is and what He has done for you, refuge like that can not be found anywhere else, no way and no how! 

  Besides that, this is also about works, as in, what shall I do for my King? Obedience is not something that we negotiate or try and bargain with God about, as if we have options and differences in opinions as to what God might have said or proclaimed must be done. The road is narrow because there are rules and restrictions; the number one rule is the one that says, HEAR! Do you know what that might mean? It is maybe not the same for me as it is for you; but when God tells you to do something, you need to listen and obey what He says to you. 

  I cannot speak for God, neither can you; it is God who has the last word; it is God who justifies and condemns! Please don't miss what this means and how this applies to our eternal soul! As Matthew Henry, whether knowingly or not has said, "With this he oiled the lock, to make it go easy." When Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls," it was because we must be meek and lowly in heart, we are miserably lost without Him, lost without hope; hopelessly lost, without the knowledge of what He has given us and how impossible it is for it to be taken away! 

  I pray that no matter how hard things might become, you never lose hope in what is to come...

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:16-17)  

"The Bolt!"

 "I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock." (S.O.S. 5:5)

  No, this is not a mistake; as much as I can tell, this is right and has something to do with something; what, I am not sure, but I know, with all my heart that this is what the title is meant to be. Besides, this is my journey, and thus far, it is more than exciting, it is filled with surprises and confirmations around every single corner, every single day! For anyone out there that might agree, blessings to you! Enjoy! 

  The most important part of this thing we call Christianity, is the fact that we need Christ! Plain and simple, every single principle and standard that makes this faith real and undeniable is that without Christ, nothing we believe in counts or has any value, whatsoever! It is not only that He came, but that He came with purpose and victory; without Him doing what He did, there was no hope for anyone, not a single living soul! 

  Matthew Henry paints two very contrasting illustrations for this myrrh and where it might have come from: one is from her, as she must have dipper her hand into a jar that was close by the bed, maybe to anoint his dew drenched head, as she greeted him at the door; the other illustration is more profound, yet less interesting to some, as it usually is in most religions of the world: that the myrrh was left upon the bolt, by His hand, before He withdrew it from the hole! 

  Oh well, just another day...

"Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the Gospel of God, (which he had promised afore, by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: by whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: among whom are ye also called of Jesus Christ: to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 1:1-7) 

"The Look!" -Too

 "My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him." (S.O.S. 5:4)

  Before moving on, I cannot neglect to reference the special relationship we have with the Lord; He does not neglect to do whatever it takes to gain our hearts, even when we are stubborn and neglect to let Him move in our lives. As much as I might try, I can never achieve holiness; as a matter of fact, the more I attempt to achieve it, the harder it becomes; the more I strive to be righteous, the more defined and enlightened my unrighteousness appears. 

  This is the point of what we are looking at, the simple act of His hand appearing; that hand which was used to form man into being, to mold man from the dust of the ground, to part the Red Sea, to light the match that devoured the sacrifices of the alter: that hand which was outstretched upon that cross! His hand that reached into the very center of my heart; the darkness which I dared not to show or uncover to Him, He no doubt could easily access and pull it out! 

  There is only one way we can be rid of these agonizing sins, and it is not by power and by might! So, here is the look we are looking at: the brightness that shines upon the darkest place in our hearts, is made manifest by His grace which produces mercy! Look into your heart and see; there is no mercy deserved for that, not without the grace of His righteousness! Without His grace, there is no mercy, none whatsoever!

  I am trying hard to maintain my thought, but there is too many thoughts to maintain. But when are allowed the moment, as this moment represents, we are given the chance to see what we are missing. In the case of this Young Woman, she was missing the chance to show kindness and compassion to the one that she loved. That brief and flashing moment, was all that it took, and her heart sank into her stomach. It was all she could do, but want to have those few moments back; to not open up at the sound of His voice, and the knock of His hand! 

  You know, there is something to look at, something there that must be seen: Keep your eyes upon what you have been given, and quit trying to look for what you do not have...

"Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith." (Romans 3:30) 

"The Look!"

 "My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him." (S.O.S. 5:4)

  Maybe it is easier to consider this a love story, as it no doubt is; but to understand the heart of God, we need to look beyond our hearts, our passions, and our way of knowing love. Something that was said yesterday at church really spoke into what was on my heart, that only God knows the secret things, we get to know that which is known; or something like that. But it challenges us to want to know God more; to know the One that knows all and is the One in control. 

  As I was thinking about this verse, I couldn't help but think of Peter and that look! Which one, is hard to say, as they both were instrumental in forming the man. The first look, was the one where Peter was sinking into the water, as he looked up to Jesus as he felt his life being taken; the second, was when looked over at Jesus, after he heard the rooster crow, as he felt his life being crushed.

  There are really some very powerful lessons to be learned in those looks; but none so powerful as this, because in this love story, He is not looking back! I know that might sound as if there might be some assumption being made; but to be perfectly honest with ourselves, we must not pretend know why God does certain things, and why He does not do other things: but everything He does, He does for His to purposes and for His glory! 

  Matthew Henry sets this up, saying, "The powerful influences of divine grace, by which she was made willing to rise and open to her beloved." If you can think back, to that moment you opened your heart to the Lord, was He looking at you? or was He looking through you? Was your gaze fixed upon His eyes, or upon His hands? I can vividly remember Him, and He gazed to the side and downward, as I saw Him hanging on the cross. Which is exactly the gaze I see on the other side of this door! 

  Something that was mentioned before, by what Matthew Henry said, "He sues for entrance who may demand it; he knocks who could easily knock down the door", is brought into a new and stranger light, as we see that He could have easily unlocked that door, but did not; making it based upon her choice and her wishes. Think what that means, let it sink in! I can remember one thing that kept me from giving in: my unwillingness to be moved, my stubbornness to be made to do anything; my complete unwillingness to know the truth, because the truth that I already knew was damning enough! 

  This is divine grace, which is so much more than mercy: mercy will give me a sigh of relief from what was to come; but divine grace gives me excitement for what comes next...Aw heck why not both...

"Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory." (Romans 5:1-2) NLT

"Too Comfortable"

 "I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?" (S.O.S. 5:3)

  If only we could see this from His point of view and not our own, what a difference there would be in our understanding and our priorities. This is the answer, no doubt, that lacks compassion; at the very least, a reply of selfishness, in an attempt to make excuses for not getting up to open the door. Is it too far fetched? Is it way too out to be our state of mind? Are we even ever close to being this ungrateful? No, No, and Yes! 

  First off, consider the process: (a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end.) To this we see two simple steps required to make our actions achieve a particular end: to get up out of bed, and to open the door! How hard is that to pull off? If there was a pizza being delivered, we would most likely have no hesitation. In contrast, what from, what we know, were the steps for the Lord to get to that door? and what actions were taken that would allow Him to come inside? 

  Just based upon the previous verse, we understand that He needed to travel there; and apparently, from the fact that He was wet of dew, the travel was long enough to cause drops to form upon His head. And based upon that fact, we can ascertain that He was determined, regardless of the dampness of the night, to come, knock upon the door, and ask to be let in. And that is just the simple version; the complex version is based upon thousands of steps, involving millions of actions, and based upon, who knows, many years of time and travel. 

  Secondly, consider the purpose: (the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.) Which reminds us of the two reasons that the Lord would be there knocking: one is to call sinners into His covenant, the other is to call saints into communion with Him. Based upon the facts we see, which one of these two purposes best illustrates His reason? 

  Not as if we can be that observant all of the time; but this is not quite an average encounter. The thing that makes it so unusual is the timing: "I sleep, but my heart waketh," is not something that describes a normal awakening. If you are awakened, what is the thing that wakes you up? What is it that wakes up first, your mind or your heart? Strange question, I know. But it is purpose enough to process where you are at, if you are too comfortable, and, notwithstanding, if you are ready to go!

  In the words of Joe Dirt: "Is this where you want to be when Jesus comes back?" To be ready, it to always be mindful of the process by which we are saved, and the purpose for which He saved us...

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." (Romans 12:1-5) 

"UNDER - STAND" -2

 "I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night." (S.O.S. 5:2)

  If there is anything that should bring us comfort, it is to know that He is always ready and willing to enter in and fellowship with us; we just need to open up our heart and let Him in! I am amazed by how much this gets overlooked in our worship and in our times prayer. Not that it happens all the time, but when we come expecting Him to speak, He is more than likely going to speak; but, if we are comfortable in our lazy state of being left alone, whatever degree of that state you are in, then this is how your fellowship will be manifested: He knocks, asking that you open to Him! 

  Instead of pretending this is something it is not, the word "sleep" is one that is used in the context of an excuse, such as, 'I missed my appointment because I was asleep,' or, 'They were all burnt up in their house because they were sleeping.' To be frank, it is an adjective, which is very interesting, as you might look at what some adjectives for ears might be: dull deaf, wholly deaf, unwilling and unbelieving, feverishly sensitive, simple, noncommittal; pretty much over 900 ways to describe ears: but we need to have ears that hear, hear being a verb; meaning that it is an action word, but only when it used with an object, like an ear! 

  That might not make much sense to those which are asleep, seeing how sleep is like slumber, that makes it more like a verbal adjective, used for those that make themselves to sleep, as in, I don't want to wake up! Regardless your condition, when you hear His voice, especially when He is knocking, you need to get up, say, "Here I am!", and expect something to happen! That is what this Title is typically about, that we show a little respect for all that He has done, by the simple act of listening and obeying His request! 

  Matthew Henry gives this a neat little twist, as he says, "He sues for entrance who may demand it; He knocks who could easily knock the door down." It is really something, that He which could have done so much to fight off those who would take His life, humbled Himself to be like a Lamb for the slaughter, that we might just be able to hear and open our hearts to let Him in...

"But Isaiah is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people." (Romans 10:20-21) 

"UNDER - STAND"

 "I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night." (S.O.S. 5:2)

  "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." (Matthew 11:15) We all know this means understand; but do we seriously know what understand actually means? I can show somebody how to do something, even show them several times, over and over again; but not until I teach them, really teach them why it is done like this or the reason for that, they will not sincerely know the workings of what they have been shown to do. It is pretty sad to see how easily a generation of craftsmen can be eliminated and become extinct; there are just some things young minds need to learn early, because patience is something that we lose with time. 

  Many commentators believe this is just a dream sequence that this Young Woman is in; as if she is not really being visited by the one she loves, but that she is just dreaming he is knocking and asking to come in. Be that as it may, there are several very important factors that we need to know, sleeping or not, we will all still be held accountable for the choices we make! In other words, we cannot use sleeping as an excuse! It might work for your teacher, your boss, or your mate; but you will no be able to use it on the Lord: He knows your heart, your very thoughts, and even your plot to explain away your reason for not paying attention to what He has said! I hope we can understand what that means, because your filter is not between your ears, it is between your brain and your heart. 

  To make better sense of what this might mean to the average believer, we must remember who it is that is speaking: Who it is that wrote this Song! Yes, God wrote this through the hands of a man; there is no question concerning that: but that man, led by the Spirit, wrote by experience and with passion. Which is the reason for my belief and understanding that this was written towards the end of his life, after he had gained experience with learning, not only how to sin, but how to live sinfully, while still not awakened by it. The walking dead, is as real as sleepwalking! 

  It is really not a matter of us having to be taught to sin; when we are born, our parents do not need to teach us to be bad, we do that instinctively and without needing to be shown; they need to teach and show us how to be good, what not to do, and how to react rightly, by not lying about what we have done. However, once we have been born again, we have a totally new set of rules: those old ways of having been taught what to do, they are replaced with the knowledge of what should be done; it is no longer a questionable matter, because the matter is no longer based upon right and wrong, but is now based upon good and bad: The Matter is based upon love, and what is good and bad for Love; to be love, to grow love, and to show love for one another!  

  Maybe it becomes a little more clear how pride gets in the way! If we exalt ourselves, we cannot stand, we will not stand, and we surely are not standing; time to learn to be a baby, once again...

"For the Scriptures tell us, "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith." When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of there work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: "Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin."" (Romans 4:3-8) NLT 

"Young Woman"

 "I slept, but my heart was awake, when I heard my lover knocking and calling: "Open to me, my treasure, my darling, my dove, my perfect one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night." But I responded, "I have taken off my robe. Should I get dressed again? I have washed my feet? Should I get them soiled?" My lover tried to unlatch the door, and my heart thrilled within me. I jumped up to open the door for my love, and my hands dripped with perfume. My fingers dripped with lovely myrrh as I pulled back the bolt. I opened to my lover, but he was gone! My heart sank. I searched for him and could not find him anywhere. I called to him, but there was no reply. The night watchmen found me as they made their rounds. They beat and bruised me and stripped off my veil, those watchmen on the walls.  Make this promise, O women of Jerusalem -If you find my lover, tell him I am weak with love."                  (THE SONG OF SOLOMON 5:2-8 NLT)

  What a moot point! Oddly enough, as I thought of this Book before, this is the specific portion of the story or song that I seemed to remember the most. Maybe it was the fact that she hesitated to open the door, and when she finally opened it, he was gone. Or maybe, it was actually the assault from the night watchmen that seemed to grab my attention? Whatever it was, this is that part of this Book I had always remembered the most. 

  If you have ever felt this, whatever you want to believe it is, it is conditionally something that makes you feel unworthy, unwanted, and unprepared: PRIDE! That might not make much sense to you now, as it always seems to go; but it is because of pride that you do not and cannot see the perfect sense in just about anything, besides that which you make your right. In other words, it is what you believe that matters the most, your thoughts, your way, you, you, and you; no one else's feelings or rights really count. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 55:8)

  This is really not all that complicated to figure out: There are always only two real choices to make whenever you are faced with what you should do, when you should do it, or which direction you should go. Even in multiple choice questions where there are three or four answers; there are usually always only two that might fit the lock, but only one is the real key; any other answers can be quickly pushed aside, leaving you a 50-50 chance to get it right. Then, it all comes down to One, as in, WHO IS RIGHT! 

"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one." (Romans 3:10-12) 

"Young Women of Jerusalem"

"Oh, lover, and beloved, eat and drink! Yes, drink deeply of your love!" (S.O.S. 5:1b NLT)

  Not sure what to make of these, as of yet; the jury is still out on who's side they are on, as it appears they are inspired to say encouraging words, while at the same time, they seem to hold up a scale, weighing the sincerity of one's love, and at times, judging motivation and commitment. It could be closely connected to the law and the prophets, as it would appear that there is some underlying tradition and history behind some of what motivates their chorus; almost as if they are making sure they are heard, and saying, Don't forget about us, we have something to add to this story! 

  I had a few interesting conversations yesterday, one about the last verse, and another about this ordeal with the virus; oddly enough, they seem to have something very much in common: Both are intended to create a separation. Upon closer examination, fear is the motivating factor that rises to the top: those that have fear, and those that do not! This is totally my own opinion, but if want to claim it is your own, feel free to do so, because I really do not want the credit. But as far as this Book is concerned, those that wish to think of it only as the story of love between husband and wife, or a man and woman, or King Solomon and whom ever, they prefer doing so out of fear. That's all I will say on that, for now.

  As I mentioned before, I left off spending any effort examining the man and woman plot, about the time we saw Solomon's Carriage, or Chariot, which ever you like best; it really does not matter, because there was something very special about the transportation, let alone all the parts that made up the reason and the cause for where it came from and where it went. But, then again, that is strictly my own observation, and you are more than welcome to see it any other way that you want.

  Anywho: To the point of what was done with this verse: There is something of a little different in the translation, as this is the voice of the Young Women of Jerusalem in the NLT, but in the King James, it is the same part of the Young Man speaking. Which makes me wonder even more about who these, Young Women, could actually be. If, per say, it is the Holy Spirit, then it would make perfect sense that the voices are One in the same. And if that be the case, then the motivation to judgment and weighing of sincerity is made quite apparent, as one of the Holy Spirit's work within us, is to keep us in check; convicting us and making us alert of certain things that might not be right.

  By the way, speaking about right and wrong...

"Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their own foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They refuse to understand, break promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God's justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too." (Romans 1:28-32) NLT 

"The Fourth Song"

 "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:18-20)

  Regardless what you might be going through right now, you must know that we are living in some very interesting days; no other time in history has there been anything as strange and as worldwide as this virus; which, is not all that dangerous, not compared to the damage the global reaction to it has become. If I didn't know any better, I would think it was caused to distract people from that which is really going on; or better yet, to create a global movement, one which makes everyone walk in step, live in fear, and be more dependent upon government for all of their needs. But what do I know, I'm just a stupid Termite Man.

  Summing up The Third Song, which started in Verse 6 of Chapter Three: we were awakened by the announcement of the King, as the Young Women of Jerusalem made their decree, singing, "Who is this sweeping in from the wilderness like a cloud of smoke?" And, then they continued on with the His scent and the very impressive Carriage, decorated with love! To which, the Young Woman bids all to come and see the King, who wears the crown His mother gave Him; declaring that it was for His most joyous day!

  We were then were brought into those 15 verses of the King giving praise, honor, and glory to His bride; as we looked into the three types or phases of our salvation: Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification. All of which were manifested in the way she looked, then in her position and fragrance, and then into that Garden; that place of great importance and stature. The place that He declares as His, she assumes as hers, and then, that He becomes the Master and Commander of, with great authority and power! 

  There were many more things I could have covered, but in case you might not have noticed, my commentary was that of my own; a summary more or less, a personal assumption, or maybe just the crying out of a man that is tired and looking for the Lord's soon return! Regardless, there are several ways that this Song can be sung, depending upon your flavor and your opinions; looking for love in all the wrong places, is not just part of a song, it is a way of life! 

  To that decree, I will share some highlights from Matthew Henry on Verse One, of Chapter Five: "These words are Christ's answer to the church's prayer in the forgoing chapter, Let my beloved come into his garden; here he has come, and let's her know it." Open up that door, and let Him in...

"Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of underserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." (Romans 5:1-5) NLT

"O Beloved"

 "I have come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." (S.O.S. 5:1)

  What is your passion? It is really not that difficult to search out what motivates and directs your life, because whatever that is, that is the one thing you must learn and determine if it is in fellowship with the Lord. Not that we can ever keep ourselves from falling away or giving into the ways of the world; as much as it seems that it is not possible, it becomes possible as soon as we think it is in our control. We are not as strong as we think we are! You did not get saved without Jesus, and you will not remain faithful without Jesus! He is not only your portion: He is the Pillar that keeps you and holds you up. With Him you will not fail; without Him, you don't stand a chance! 

  This is very important to every single bit of who we are in Christ: do we truly believe that He loves us! Not, do we understand that He loves us, or that we think that He loves us; but is His love established in our hearts, so much so, that we are willing to die, to show how much we believe that He loves us? Those that have demonstrated that was so, they are the, "beloved," of which there is no doubt; all others, have little or nothing to show proof of their relationship, with the Lord that loves them so much; until they are willing to give all, even their very lives, to show that He loves them. 

  I know, it might seem a little drastic and over the top; but it is a small glimpse of what this word, "beloved," actually represents. It is very close to that last love Jesus used, as He asked Peter, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?" (John 21:17) The first two times Jesus used a common type of love, one that one might use to express respectful love, as when Jesus said, "For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?" (Matthew 5:46) Whereas, the third love, Jesus spoke of was a love that is founded in and springing from faith; it is a love that is based upon the preservation of life, or to hate it when it cannot be kept without denying Christ. 

  To make this into something that can be easily understood, the passion we must have is in knowing the Love of God! Not that we can ever master it, or posses it, or make it our own: but that we simply are familiar with it, because it is made known in us, lives through us, and is that which gives us life, real life; not this temporary and uncontrollable life, but life that is eternal and gloriously based in His love! 

  The kind of love we are talking about, is that special, "Even If," kind of love! That no matter what kind of love, that says, You are mine, and I am not letting go of you, no matter what...

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39) 

"Drink, Yea, Drink Abundantly"

 "I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." (S.O.S. 5:1)

  It was not that easy to get to sleep, thinking about this post and all that I felt I wanted to say; until I actually excused myself, asking that God just speak to me: and then I fell asleep! Not exactly what I planned for, but probably what I needed. Actually I heard a very simple message, it had something to do with, Abundant Life! 

  First of all, if you think it comes easy, you have somehow missed your turn; and by turn, I mean the place you were told to get off, change your direction, or follow your calling. Abundant Life is not easy living; but it is life Abundantly Lived; as much as it sounds wonderful, it comes with a cost. I am not saying I know anything about it; I'm just saying I know something about missing my turn. This is something I have great experience with, as I have a bad habit of talking on the phone while driving, and I miss my turns quite often. 

  Secondly, I don't think you can miss your turn! Because, wherever you are at, is where God would have you to be! Call me stupid or whatever you want, but the way I see it, if you are a child of God, you are always exactly where God wants you to be. Abundant life is based upon being full! I don't know where full is for you, I don't even know where full is for myself; as a matter of fact, full does not even show up until we get to see what being filled actually means, once we get to Heaven! 

  Thirdly, and most likely the only thing worth holding onto: we are holding onto Jesus Christ; the One that not only lived life abundantly, but He is the Abundant Life! As much as it matters, it matters more! As much as you miss every single turn that you are given, that first turn to Christ Jesus was the last turn that really mattered! 

  If you are interested in what Abundant Life looks like, I think that the 'thief on the cross' shows it well; and it don't come easy, but it sure do count...

"Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay; but be the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." (Romans 3:27-31) 

"Eat, O Friends"

 "I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." (S.O.S. 5:1)

  Hope everyone is doing fine; as fine as to be expected. As far as this pandemic is concerned, it would appear as though it has caught the attention of the majority; leaving little choices to those who do not quite agree with how much we should allow it to dominate our lives. If you find yourself wanting to be left alone, to be not told how you to live your life, or to not be someone that gets in line; you are going to be put in a place of not caring for your fellow man, whether it is true or not, you will be selfish and cold-hearted in the eyes of those that do what they are told.

  Something is common in this story! To be straight to the point: there was a time in which many that were following Jesus, suddenly turned away, saying, "This is a hard saying; who can hear it?" (John 6:60) This they said because Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." (John 6:53) Common is all in the frame of mind; as in, what it is that you see to be the answer, and how far will you go to believe in it! 

  Basically, we are in a war, whether you can except that or not, you are most every day bombarded with different things that will challenge you faith; some easily dealt with, some a little more challenging; and some, you don't even quite know what to do with, so you lay that issue aside, to deal with another day. In the process of living in the world, while at the same time, not loving the world, there is always this little thing called, Give and Take; that would be similar to a scale, one side is good, the other side, is not so good; above it all, is that which has become undecided. 

  It is that undecided stuff that needs to be dealt with! The undecided stuff is not going to win you any strength in your faith, because your faith will never be challenged by anything that is left undecided. Am I all in or not! It really all comes down to that basic formula; anything else is not going to cut it, because it will always leave room for doubt. To eat of His flesh, is to buy into the whole package, from beginning to end! It is saying, Lord, I believe what you say, Who you are, and all that you have done, you have done because You love me! 

  To put that in a little better light, we revisit the time when the disciples questioned, saying, "Hath any man brought him aught to eat?" And Jesus replied, "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." (John 4:33-34) You have to eat! Chew every last bite; and anything that might tough to chew, then you chew it more; keep on chewing until it gets eaten; because until you eat it, it does not give you strength...

"But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." (Romans 3:21-26)  

"I Have Drunk My Wine With My Milk"

 "I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." (S.O.S. 5:1)

  Almost there, as the story seems to go; almost there! I really hope it matters, because this is by far the most important portion of this exciting and somewhat mysterious Book, Song, Love Story; whatever you want to make it, if you are so incline, it really does not matter, as long as you believe that it is God who is speaking, you will be touched, in one way or another! If there is anything that you can take from this, it is that you should never give up! 

  You know how this works, any of you that have been serving the Lord, diligently and without expecting anything in return: you get to a particular point in your life, when you question your motives and examine the outcome; and, bam! Just like that, a dark and slow moving cloud appears, hanging over your life! Is it meant to be dealt with? Do I pay it any mind? Can I pray it away, or is it there for my benefit? Something is happening, and I don't quite know what to do; so, what do I do? 

  I am thinking of a word that rhymes with yum; because that is the most distant word that comes to mind when I think of this combination, wine and milk! Yes, it is little odd, but to be perfectly honest, you do get get fit without working out your body; you will not be equipped without working out your faith! Just how in the world do you work out your faith? (No pun intended!) 

  Nothing in this world can make you better fit, than that which is totally and completely not of this world! If it can be bought, caught, or sought in this life, it is not of any benefit to your eternal outlook and hope; not to mention, going to help you though any sort of discouragement or period of doubt. You must, with every once of your soul, put your attention on God's Word and get drunk in the Spirit! As those who might drink wine to forget about the truth around them, we as believers most get drunk in the Spirit to see the Truth that we cannot otherwise see! 

  Do not give up! No matter how unimportant it might seem to adhere; the substance that keeps you going, is not here! You know the drill...

"For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes -the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."" (Romans 1:16-17) NLT

"I Have Eaten My Honeycomb With My Honey"

 "I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." (S.O.S. 5:1)

  Why anyone might think this is sexual, it causes me to wonder what motivates and creates that hunt for expression; if anything, we should be amazed by the detail expressed to the ingredients used in making His church, His bride, and His people! After all, we are talking about the Creator of heaven and earth, it should not come as any sort of surprise that He has creative abilities; let alone, that He has the ability to stimulate our minds and soften our hearts. 

  This is really quite simple, if you can simply stand back long enough to let it sink in. If Christ is the Head, and we are the Body, then anything He might do, as the Head, is also a benefit and nourishment to the Body. The writer of Hebrews, (or writers, as I believe there were three,) refer to Christ Jesus as, "The Author and Finisher of our faith." (Hebrews 12:2) In other words, we look to Him because He shows us how we should represent ourselves as His body, as His church, and as His special people; those that are the embodiment of Christ, so called, Christians: or, Christ-Like! 

  If you want to know my thought, it is a silly thing about, "Nana-Nana-Naner," or some such thing, where something sticks to someone like glue! It is not about what you eat, what you even do; it is 110% about Who is living inside of you! If only we could take a pill, or eat a can of spinach; or better yet, have a magic bag of tricks; they are the things that would put everything within reach, because it is really really hard to find it inside of ourselves! 

  Come On Man! Don't you see, it is not about what you do: It is about Him doing through you! I cannot love as I should, no matter how much I might try; but He loves unconditionally and is always waiting for the chance to show love through us; our ego and our pride just seem to get in the way. To see this in another light, you simply ask yourself where the honey might come from, say like, Where does honey come from? Weird, I just had that crazy thought about The Everlasting Gobstopper from Willy Wonka. 

  I mind is a terrible thing to waste! Which reminds me of something I heard Dr. Chuck say the other day, he said, "Don't confuse the mind with the brain; the brain is just an organ." Do not confuse this body with that which contains the Spirit of God: this body is temporal; God's Spirit is eternal...

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39)  

"I Have Gathered My Myrrh With My Spice"

"I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice, I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey: I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." (S.O.S. 5:1) 

  It's a bitter-sweet romance, to say the least; but if anyone ever could, it is He! As we imagine what it might take, I seriously doubt any of us could see ourselves doing what Jesus did; not without some sort of a fight! Growing up, I was taught that Jesus was not sinless; being told how it was a sin for Him to loose His temper by turning over tables and chasing the vendors out of the Temple, not once, but twice; as the story seems to go. What was the point in that? And why was He so justified in doing what He did? 

  I can only hope that some of those who talked in such a way had changed their point of view before they took their final breath; because to cheapen the power of God's love and mercy, is nothing short of pure wickedness! To say that they did what they did from ignorance, I think that is more than kindness; to set out and make something up, even though you know the truth, the only ignorance there is thinking you have a right to do such an evil thing, at all! In other words, the ignorance is in the way we might think God does not care, or that He is not looking; or worse yet, that we can do what we want without suffering some sort of consequence for our actions. 

  Here is another little piece of the parable about the "talents," other than time, other than effort, other than results: it is more about caring! What do you do with what you have been given, and how do you respect what it? As it is, whatever you have, it can be taken away; without warning, and within seconds, you can find yourself empty handed and alone. Now, imagine what it might feel like to place yourself, willingly, into that position: Would you do it? If you had the power to not, what would you do? 

  What if, if it might be, those talents were something all together different; say like, acts of kindness or self-sacrifice; or better yet, the chance to stand up for what you believe! That is pretty much the just of it, just in case you were looking for how it all plays out. Ignorance is no excuse for not trying...

"What shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." (Romans 8:35-36)    

"My Sister, My Spouse"

 "I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." (S.O.S. 5:1)

  I feel as though we are getting ready to spice things up a little bit, as I have been reminded of something that I learned early on in this spectacular journey: "Many are called, but few are chosen!" In such a way, I believe that there are vast differences in way God reaches those that are called, as it is, those that are given the opportunity to step into the light; this does not guarantee them anything, because some will reject the light, as it exposes their sins and causes them to make choices that they prefer not to make. Regardless, that is not a end, by any means! 

  As I believe we all will soon see, God will always capture the heart of His children, whether they be willing or not, it is just somehow going to happen. I had an opportunity to listen to Pastor Bryan share something he heard from his dad before he passed, as he asked him, "What do you think will surprise you the most about heaven?" His answer was, "Who will be there, and who will not." Only God knows our hearts; He knows the end before the beginning, and there is absolutely nothing that is hidden from Him. We have no idea what we will do tomorrow, let alone, how the end of our life will be, or if we even will be faithful to the very end. 

  I heard Pastor Jack share this once, how when we arrive at those pearly gates, there will be a sign that simply says, "All who were called," and after we pass through, turning back around, the back of that same sign reads, "The Chosen." One in the same, is what that actually means! To be blunt, everyone is called in one way or another, but not everyone hears God's voice! And even if they hear Him, they do not receive the sound of His voice: the love that comes forth from that call to listen! "It is I," He says, in a whisper, "It is I!" 

  You might not get the point, but every single one of us have the same big giant hole that needs to be filled; but not every one of us will have the same shape to that hole. And, therefore, the shape we know not, but it is the shape of Him, Jesus Christ!!! Not sure if you understood that announcement or not, so I am feeling led to simplify the picture: The Shape Is In The Form Of God's LOVE...

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but hath delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." (Romans 8:31-34) 

"I Am Come Into My Garden"

 "I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." (S.O.S. 5:1)

  Keeping with that thought, if you will, the garden in enclosed and is protected. This is probably one of the most sacred things about our personal relationship with the Lord: we are protected! This is also the most sacred thing about His body, the body of believers, His church; the we, as a body of believers are guarded and kept by that which He has established on this earth, as it is in Heaven. And thirdly, Israel, His anointed, will never be forsaken and unguarded: He has declared it, over and over in His Word. 

  Long story short; we are His garden; both individually, collectively, and spiritually: One body; One in Christ Jesus! No matter how you slice it, it all turns out the same: His House, His Rules! If it is His garden, then He gets to establish which plants will be planted, watered, and pruned; when they are planted, how much water they receive, and how often they get pruned. In other words, your life is not your own! Doubt it if you want to, but came into this world to save us; He surely did not suffer and die to just pay a price for our sins: He did it to give us the victory over sin; a battle that we could have never won on our own! 

  If I seem a little hesitant to say something I should, it is only because there are so many different ways to say it, I can't quite figure out what door to enter in through; which door that needs to be opened. One thing is certain: if you are going to have Him enter in, you have got to open the door! The door to your heart, the door to your mind; the door to your private time, your employment, your marriage; whatever it is that motivates and causes you to turn your head, there is always a door; a way to enclose and protect whatever it is that you still call your own. 

  As we were! Isn't that what keeps us from moving forward? He grabs our attention, and then we relax and get comfortable in our condition. The third to the last thing that Jesus said on that cross, is that which we must take as our own, "I thirst!" If only my houseplants could talk to me, reminding me of what they constantly continually need; the thing that I remember to do, as I see them looking a little droopy, and then turn to do something else, forgetting to water them again.

  For this, I do not worry, as my Lord is my Gardener and Friend! "For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody." (Isaiah 51:3) What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear; And what a privilege to carry, Everything to God in prayer... 

"But God commandeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more, being reconciled we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." (Romans 5:8-11) 

"Into MY Garden!"

 "I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice, I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey: I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." (S.O.S. 5:1)

  Four words come to mind: "My House, My Rules!" Regardless of what you might think, God placed man in the garden; He also kicked man out of that same garden! Therefore, who's garden was it? Not to be a cynic, but what gave Adam the idea that the garden was his, in the first place? Something to think about, if you are raising a family, or you are running a business; and most definitely, if you are pastoring a church! 

  As I woke up this morning, at 3:15, I turned of Fox and Friends to the sound of a black minister who was speaking about the gall of those who want to try and dismiss or come against the next Justice, because of her faith. Instantly, those four words above came into my mind, "My House, My Rules!" And I was instantly reminded of the Text I would be sharing on today. Was it just a coincidence? If you want to believe it was, you could try and make that case; but, you can also believe in luck, if you feel lucky enough to express your view of God's hand is throwing dice every time He causes or allows something to happen or take place.

  This is all His! Everything, means all things! There is nothing that is, was, or ever will be, that God does not own; just so we set that record straight: "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth," so if you know of anything not part of that, please let your knowledge of this thing be known! Otherwise, accept the facts and move on, because you are not going to win that argument. That said, I do, without a doubt, believe that God allows His children to own things and call them their own. If you doubt I am right, then you have forgotten about your sins! 

  Not to change the subject, but I stumbled upon something I would like to share; it is called, "Spurgeon's 5 Rules for Spiritualizing a Text." I only bring it up, because there are rules for doing so: so, just saying, 'Thou shalt not spiritualize the Text,' is clearly not in order! Jesus clearly said: "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." (John 5:39) In that, I believe we have permission, if not an order, to search for the hidden meanings that point to the Son; those single elements that bring Life to the Text; that make the Way in the Text; and that point to the Truth through the Text: Because, HE is THE TEXT...

"Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandments of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for obedience of faith: to God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen." (Romans 16:25-27)   

"I Am Come"

 "I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice, I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." (S.O.S. 5:1)

  So, if you don't already know, I love to spiritualize the Text; as a matter of fact, I look for ways that it can be done, even if it does not appear possible; I know otherwise. If you do not know what that actually means: "To spiritualize the text is to apply a method of interpretation that implies that the true meaning of the text is hidden, and that it means something other than what it appears to say on the surface." The key to making this work for the good, is to look for the application, not the interpretation. All Scripture is meant to be used for application! 

  When I do any sort of teaching, in whatever portion of Scripture I might end up teaching on, I look for several forms of applications: The Who, The Where, and The Why. The Who is always pertaining to the One that wrote The Book: Who is He, therefore the Words apply to God! The Where is always pertaining to the location of the application; listening, moving, living, whatever it is that God needs to be working in and through my life, His Word must apply to wherever that might be, and in whatever moment! The Why is always the reason for the application; it is also the application that is frequently ignored or overlooked!  

  Here is a good question for you that know your stuff: Why did Jesus Christ come into this world? It is not something you might get asked about very often, because most people already have made up their minds what the answer is, depending upon where they prefer to apply the Who and the Where. If you need a little help with the answer, the hint is found in John 4:32, as Jesus answered the request of His disciples, "Master, eat." He answered them saying, "I have meat to eat that ye know not of." 

  Anywho, we are always to be on the lookout for the message of the Gospel! It is almost always there, in some form or fashion; and if it cannot be seen on the surface, then it is most likely hidden somewhere, somehow, right before your very eyes, and pointed straight at your heart. The Living Word is meant to be applied to life! Abundant life, everlasting life; living for God, God living in us; life, life, life! Why, you might ask? Taste and see...

"For by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:19-21)  

"Enumerated" -2

 "I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice, I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." (S.O.S. 5:1)

  Now, about this title: believe it or not, it is taken from the word, "come," which is specifically meant to say, "To Be Enumerated." Much as it sounds, the word means, 'mention (a number of things) one by one,' or, 'establish the number of.' The actual Hebrew word is bow', which, by way of directions can mean all sorts of different going in's, or going's out; including, but not limited to the spirit, body, word, you name it, it is all in there for use, to be interpreted in any number of ways. But, for this particular application, this is the way I am going to try and explore this wonderful piece of work: To list and count of every single thing, one by one! 

  In other words: The application is the purpose for the WORD! Please try and understand what I am trying to say, because the true meaning, if you will allow me, of, "Living Bible," is not that the Bible changes in any way or fashion, but that the WORD comes alive in you! The reason that the WORD cannot be contained, is that the applications are so vast and numerous, you cannot even begin to keep track of them; and if you even try, you will lose track of where you started! 

  Let me try another example and see if it makes any better sense. Here is this country, we have this thing, we so often refer to, "The Constitution of the United States." Some will refer to this Transcription as a Living Document; as I will agree, the founders had established this writing to be: but not with the idea for it growing into whatever we the people might make of it: rather, that whatever we the people might grow into, this document would always bring us back to our original founding principles. It is alive because it forms and establishes a set of rules and restrictions; by which, we are made to adhere to, by the orders it might set. 

  This does not necessarily mean that will always happen; but as long as we still have the original documents, another generation can correct and reestablish the original order once again; therefore, it lives on, to fight for our rights another day: WORD...

"They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities -his eternal power. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became fools. And instead of worshipping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshipped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshipped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen." (Romans 1:19-25) NLT

"Enumerated"

 "I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." (S.O.S. 5:1)

  First of all, I am changing something with this verse, as it is really way too complex to apply one title to; and it is far too important to not be explored and looked at with an expectant heart. If there is one thing that I have learned in all of these years of walking with the Lord, it is how easily we can be persuaded to not take a chance, whether it is for fear of failure, or just to not offend the norms! Socially, our world is governed by what is popular and interesting; this includes the church, whether we can omit it or not, we just try not to let the cat out of the bag; but in our hearts, for the most part, we accept the social changes. 

  I am starting to doubt how serious those that say they want revival, actually do. I wonder, when it is brought up, how many cringe inside when the pastor mentions a prayer service; or, God forbid, that he might mention a service where they lay hands on people, to get filled with the Holy Spirit! Change is sometimes hard to face going into, but it is necessary to come out from; which is what we are here for today! "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17) 

  To be blunt, I think it is a mistake to refer to anything that is non-changing to be called living; once we place something in that category, we give people the idea that it is somehow evolving, or that it changes with the times we are living in; that it is adapting to this current culture, and bends to the needs of the current social majority. Just because something is well and good, does not make it right: if it smells like a fish, it is most likely a fish! It is not that hard to measure how far things are off, if you have the right measuring stick! 

  Please do not get offended by what I might say, but I know I just asked you to not do something that you will probably do anyways. But, I do not study from any other Bible but the King James Version, period!!! I might read another Version, not to study from, but to gain a little better understanding; but I always will check that better understanding with a deeper look into the original meanings. To be totally honest, I do not trust the NIV because anyone I know that studies from it, to say the least, is tolerant to social changes; nor do I trust the NASB because most I now that study from it, are Post-Toasties, and do not agree that God will not judge the church with the world during the Tribulation. 

  So there you have that, nice to have known you: feel free to drop by any time you want. But then again, I do enjoy reading the NLT, I just don't study from it, no way, no how; mostly because every Hebrew and Greek translation is based upon the KJV; anything else is something based upon Aramaic, not that there is anything wrong with that; definite or not! Can't we all just get along... 

"For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes -the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life." But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness." (Romans 1:16-18) NLT

"Young Man"

 "I have entered my garden, my treasure, my bride! I gather myrrh with my spices and eat honeycomb with my honey. I drink wine with my milk." (S.O.S. 5:1 NLT)

  If I have failed to make the connection with this being about the anointed love between a man and a woman, it was totally and completely intentional; I lost interest in that conquest back in chapter 3, when we went through the description of "King Solomon's carriage." From that moment on, I realized this is and was about three very important aspects of God's relationship with us: God and Israel, Jesus and the Church, and the precious life of a believer with the Redeemer! 

  If you are somehow offended by that choice, I can offer you some good books to read for your entertainment, but in this particular day and time, I feel it is more important to focus upon the spiritual side of this glorious message, than it is to get lost in the liberties granted by God to two people that are married. Besides, I learned more than enough of that while reading those books we had to read during our 6 months of pre-marital counseling. The most important thing I remember, was that her body belonged to me: not a very good topic of conversation while there is tension in the air; I learned that pretty quick. 

  Any one out there that does not believe we are living in a time of serious testing, think again! To be frank, the whole entire world is listening; there is something going on that has everyone's attention, whether they like it or not! Major lines are being drawn in the sand; to be this or that, to wear the mask or not to wear the mast; if you wear it, your are getting in line with the One World Order; if you do not wear it, you don't care about your fellow man! I hope anyone listening can see where this is going! 

  The biggest threat to all that is going on is to the churches; those who want to gather together for worship and fellowship, they are being called out and asked to stay apart. The laying on of hands, the holding hands for prayer; never mind the threat it is causing to all of our children ministries, our ministries for drug and alcohol abuse, and our ability to have real fellowship together as a body of believers. 

  You can try and ignore what is happening and why; but it should cause us all to take notice, at the very least, we should be praying for discernment and wisdom! In this very important time, we should be paying attention to what our children our getting out of all of this! Maybe we don't even know what to say, as we are at a lose for words? If that be the case, I suggest you put down all of the other reading materials, turn off the television, shut off the cellphones, and ask to have a little Wine with your Milk... 

"Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of underserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. We can rejoice too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." (Romans 5:1-5) NLT

"CHAPTER FIVE"

 THE SONG OF SONGS (Chapter Five) "She begs he would visit it, and accept of what it produced. The believer can take little pleasure in his garden, unless Christ, the beloved of his soul, come to him, nor have any joy of the fruits of it, unless they rebound some way or other to the glory of Christ, and he will think all he has well bestowed upon him." (Matthew Henry: end of commentary to Chapter Four.)

"When you go to war, your people will serve you willingly. You are arrayed in holy garments, and your strength will be renewed each day like the morning dew." (Psalms 110:3 NLT) 

  All I have to say, is, Wow! The way I see it, there is no contest to what it is like to put everything in for Jesus Christ; whether you face the loss of all that you own, have been given that diagnostic finding that you have stage four cancer, or you find yourself alone after 50 years of marriage: Knowing and having a Friend in Jesus, is enough to make all of that seem as though it just does not matter! 

  But who am I to talk about such things as that? I feel blessed compared to some, as I see that I am well cared for and comfortable. Much the same as that famous saying, "I complained when I had no shoes, until I saw a man that had no feet," we think we have it bad until we see what it is like to have it a whole lot worse. 

  Anywho: In a strange kind of a way, this is in no way close to that type of a picture of what might be on my heart this morning; yet it is closely related, as it is something that takes into account what it might look like to base how you live out your faith, by the way you see someone else live out their faith. It is not only a bad idea, but it allows us to take our eyes off of the Standard, Jesus Christ, and settle for standard living in our lives. 

  Surely as the sun rises every morning, it will cripple your walk; your race, will become a pace; your get-to-it, will become a-round-to-it; and your passion, will become a vacation. Wait a darn second! I was reminded of something Saturday morning: The sun does not rise, at all! The sun is always right where it has always been; it is this world that turns, giving us the illusion that the sun comes and goes! Hold onto your hat, because this ride just reached its ascent...

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but be reason of him who hath subjected the same if hope; because the creature itself shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." (Romans 8:18-21) 

"The Prayer" -3

 "Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof my flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits." (S.O.S. 4:16)

  If there is going to any part of this journey that might be based or associated with any precept of religion, then this might be that form, stature, or whatever shape it may look like: Before we can honestly proclaim this is His garden, the fruits produced must be His, and they must be pleasant! This word for, "pleasant," is a word that means more than feeling, senses, or any other sort of human experienced nicety we might try to imagine to enjoy. This is, "something very special and noble," "the precious things of heaven." To be somewhat practical, we are simply a vessel that He works through; however, as this vessel, we are to be faithfully allowing Him to shape us and mold us into what we should be. 

  So then, in that sense, we can make this more than just a relationship, because our part of this requires that He shapes us, we never ever shape Him! A really good example of how this might be better explained, is to simply hear it from Matthew Henry: "She calls it his garden; for those that are espoused to Christ call nothing their own, but what they have devoted to him and desire to be used for him. When the spices flow forth then it is fit to be called his garden, and not till then. The fruits of the garden are his pleasant fruits, for he planted them, watered them, and gave them increase. What can we pretend to merit at Christ's hands when we can invite him to nothing but what is his own already?" 

  You can assume to be doing all to Him, and at the same time you are looking for approval of man! In that sense, we are always to be on guard for what James speaks about in saying, "Do ye think that the Scriptures saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?" (James 4:5) The spirit that James is referring to is man's fallen spirit, that which is the root cause of the fall of man; that which is manifested in selfishness and malevolence: in other words, It's all about me, myself, and I; everyone else is out to lunch! 

  There is really only one other way to even try to explain how this can be explained without getting to far into Psychometrics: The Love of God! In all of this, whatever it might be, or in whatever condition we might try to make it to be, it is only by love that it makes any sense at all. If it is not based on love, then it is not His; those are His pleasant fruits! In that, your garden is not your own, but His, because we cannot love as God loves without Him loving through us! In this, please please see, we are all in this together, making any suffering seem totally worth praising God for the chance to show real love...

"Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God." (Romans 8:12-14) NLT 

"The Prayer" -2

 "Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits." (S.O.S. 4:16)

  Today, I feel the need to draw attention to this little elephant in the room, the phrase, "blow upon my garden." I have tried to practice, sometimes with success, the fact that nothing I have is mine, and all I have belongs to the Lord; but in this case, I feel as though there is caution that we do not overlook the strange and very obvious fact of what this garden represents. First of all, we are not spectators in this walk, as though we can just admire what God does and at the same time enjoy the fruits of what others do around us; we are active participants in the work God is doing, and we will be judged accordingly! 

  I would like to take this time to examine a very familiar parable that Jesus shares; commonly known as the, "Parable of the Talents." Without getting too deep into the meaning of what those talents represent, or trying to evaluate any principle in the way that those talents were used; I want to examine what happen when they were given to those servants, and how, that when they were given them, they became their talents to be used in a way that they might have seem fit to use them, but not forgetting, they were holding a portion of all that the master had, as he gave them everything to watch over while he was gone. 

  The more I think about that, the more I feel as though I have neglected doing all I could with what I have been given; treating these talents, however many they might be, as if they were His, they have been not used properly because they were not properly put to use. You would think that after all of these years of running my own business I would have seen it for myself. But, if you are focused upon doing something in the sales world, you sometimes forget about how that works in the saving souls world! 

  So, as I have witnessed this in the world I am familiar with, without using names, I will give you an example of how this works. I own a Termite and Pest control business, and for almost 12 years I had a man that worked for me who I let run the Pest Control side of the business, while I focused upon the Termite Control side. For every bit of those 12 years, the Pest route was hardly grown or produced any more than what could be easily handled by this one man; case in point, because it was not his, so he did not concern himself with making it grow. 

  Once I sold him that portion of my company, he has grown it to at least 5 to 6 times that which it was when it became his, five years ago. This happen because it was no longer mine, but his; a thing that made it, his garden, if you will; a place where he was responsible for what it produced, as well as being the one to benefit from the harvest; as well as the one that might suffer in taking care of it. There is the whole point of what this parable represents: We are the one that benefits, whether in good and in bad, from the way we work this garden! "For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath." (Matthew 25:29)

  This is about the garden that the Lord has given you to work and care for; each and every part of this is something you are responsible to work: you till the ground, you pull out the weeds, you trim the trees and keep it all green. All that is given you, is yours to use for your benefit, to enjoy the fruits of your labor, and to experience the joy, peace, and love that comes with every 'spice' that flows out of, all that you do. The main thing to keep in mind, is that it might be yours to work, but He owns the property that the garden is on: no matter what, He is and always will be the Master...

"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be glorified together." (Romans 8:12-17)    

"The Prayer"

 "Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits." (S.O.S. 4:16)

  Just so you know, I am not a very good example of what a good servant might look like; in my own eyes, I am needy and wretched, unrighteous and filled with sinful thoughts; always striving to do well, but never seeming to make it through a single day without asking God for forgiveness and mercy. I wake up asking Him to forgive, and I go to bed at night asking for forgiveness; I usually ask Him for forgiveness at least two or three times during the middle of the day. It is a constant battle; but none the less, it is mine, in the sense that I am aware of my weaknesses and failures. 

  The way I see it, this is a prayer that is very similar to what we might experience when we get filled with the Holy Spirit. In reality, it is not those things which we do that will condemn us, it will be the things that we do not do! If you are prone to speak ill of another person, then you must strive to compliment as many people as you possibly can. If you are selfish with your time or your money, then you must strive to give yourself and your money away, as much and as often as the Lord leads you to do so. It is pretty simple to figure out, if you see the fault within, then you must perform the opposite without! It is easier said than done, but I think you get the general idea. 

  Breaking this down, the first important characters are the winds; the north wind you might relate to the conviction, as it comes from above; while the south wind would be the opposite, as it is comfort that is generated from below. In essence, it is the holiness of God's standards that convict us and wake us up to the fact that we fall way short; but it is doing God's will here on earth that will bring us comfort; if you will, waking up the spirit of peace and joy within our lives. If you do not understand what I am talking about, then you need to practice doing it and see for yourself. James says, "Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." (James 5:20)

  There are several different ways to look at what James is talking about, none of which, I believe, is being referenced to our actions causing our sins to be hidden from God. If we are born again and have been covered by the blood of Jesus Christ, then there is nothing there for God to see when it comes to sin; our sins have been removed and have been taken away! The practical application to that verse, is that we are feeding this comforting part of our soul; as we do God's will and practice righteousness, we are feeling better about ourselves and the power of His Spirit is becoming more apparent within us. 

  We can do nothing to make ourselves better in God's eye, because the blood of His Son has made us as white as snow; this is more about how we feel about ourselves and whether or not we are doing what we should with that which God has given us to do. If you don't feel as though God has given you anything, I would point you to the very first word in the verse we have before us today, "Awake!" You would be well served to start with that, because you are obviously asleep. If that does not somehow do anything for you, then it is a matter of your need to get filled with His Spirit, which is a reference to Luke 11: 5-13, where Jesus is sharing about what we must do if we feel as though we lack the Holy Spirit within us: You keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking! 

  In other words, you do whatever it takes and do not give up...

"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness into sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members a instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." (Romans 6:11-14)  

"Young Woman"

 "Awake, north wind! Rise up, south wind! Blow on my garden and spread its fragrance all around. Come into your garden, my love, taste its finest fruits." (S.O.S. 4:16 NLT)

  If it makes you feel any better, then this is more than just praise for what has been revealed; this is a prayer to be that garden, with all of its fruits and fragrances. But more importantly, that this is His garden, and not only is it His making, but He is welcomed in! Not just invited, as if to say, Come in and make yourself at home; but this is more about Him coming in and judging the flavor of all of the fruit! 

  I don't know what you might think of the ministry, but it is not an easy place to be employed, if that is what you are looking to do for a living. I have been involved with ministry, in one way or another, for at least 35 years; and I can tell you from what I know, if you are going to do anything that actually makes a difference, you are not going to try to do it on your own. When we make it about us, we are setting ourselves up for a major disappointment! It is not about us; it is about Jesus Christ living inside of us, to be our hands and feet, to be the Lord over all of our actions, our words, our emotions; all that we are in every situation and through every circumstance, we are governed by and powered by His Spirit! 

  Now you know what it takes, so you can see what kind of prayer this is we are looking at! This is a serious issue, because it involves giving ourselves over to be changed, and tasted, and changed again; on and on it goes, over and over: that is what it looks like to be in ministry; this is what we feel like in this life of serving Christ Jesus, the Lord of Heaven and Earth...

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has many functions, so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other." (Romans 12:1-5) NLT 

"GLORIFICATION"

 "A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and steams from Lebanon." (S.O.S. 4:15)

  Living on this side of glory, although we cannot attain it in this moment, it is still our goal, our hope, and in Christ, it is our Blessed Assurance! In His eyes, we are already there; in the Father's eyes, we are as much a part of Him, as His Beloved Son. This is not only about what is to come, this is about that which has already been established and was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Now, we just need to have faith and believe it is so, because He says it is so! 

  Matthew Henry places this comment coming from the spouse; as it appears to be something too high or too vast for it to be spoken of the spouse. But, in a most miraculous way, the spouse is being transformed and the single identity of her beauty is being made known in plural; as if she has gone from one to many! As much as it might seem we have this salvation all to ourselves, as if we are accountable for it, we are responsible for making the right choices, and we are living out our own destinies: this is His prize! Sure, we are going to be blown away by all of the majesty and glory, but we are the Bride of Christ; and as His Bride, we will be presented in glorious fashion; the individuality of who we were, what we were, and how we might have somehow made it through, that is pale in the light of the unity we will become. 

  The way I see it, that is really a pretty good thing; as the Bride of Christ, we become part of something that has many different parts, and in the eyes of the Bridegroom, we are more than perfect, we are totally complete! Which is the single most important thing we are waiting for, to be complete! No one knows the day or the hour, not even the Son! As He prepares the house, the Father waits for the Bride to be ready; to be complete. And when that last soul is added, the word will be spoken, "Go get your Bride!" 

  As much as it seems it should have already happen, there are several people in my life which make me happy it has not happened yet. A little like that starfish story, where the man is walking along the beach and finds thousands upon thousands of starfish washed up on the sand; so he starts throwing them into the ocean. Someone walks by, and says, 'Hey Buddy, why bother doing that, there is no way you can save all of those starfish; it's really not going to make a difference?' To which the man replied, as he tossed another into the sea: 'It just made a difference to that one!' 

  Did anyone notice all the water seems endless...

"I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full amount of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, "The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness. And this is my covenant with them, that I will take away their sins."" (Romans 11:25-27) NLT