With eyes being held open with toothpicks at 4 a.m., I picked up my Bible and
my devotional book. I was instantly wide awake: "I have loved you with an
everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness." (Jer 31:3 NIV)
What does this mean? Simply that God loves us as a newly-wed loves his
just-married spouse! Imagine that: our Maker loves us to bits!
However, we need to ask ourselves: "Do I love Him the same way He loves me?"
"'But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you have been unfaithful to me,
O house of Israel,' declares the Lord." (Jer 3:20 NIV)
Is it possible that we might have erred like the Israelites did in Jeremiah's
time, that we might have been unfaithful to the Lover of our soul?
God refers to Himself as our husband. If that is the case and we have been
unfaithful, this means we must have had or still have illegitimate lovers in our
life!
Do we?
Do I???
While praying, I was encouraged to lie down on my bed, close my eyes and stop
any communication with the One who loves me so dearly. As silence filled me,
thoughts started to appear out of nowhere. Not just one thought or two, but
myriads of them: Don't forget to pick up the snow blower today, it's ready.
Don't forget to send in your health insurance claims. Don't forget… Also you
MUST encourage X, oh, and don't forget to write to Y! You need to ask Z…
It was just too much and I tried to put it aside by imagining the book I had
just been reading and the upcoming novels I would soon read…
All of a sudden I heard an inner voice: "Those are some of the lovers in your
life!"
Me?
ME!
I blanched! Sure enough, my preoccupations often center around what others will
think, around the worries and cares of live, even around the books I'm reading!
Although none of them are bad, per se, they sure become nonsense if they
interfere with my relationship with the Lover of my soul!
This experiment left me flabbergasted and in deep meditation. In the old days
they called that "idol worship". That term has faded from our vocabulary
however, and has been replaced with a new one: "illicit lovers". I would like to
invite you to prayerfully try this experiment as well in the evening, when you
are clearly relaxed. Ask for God to reveal those "illicit lovers" of your life
and close your eyes, relax and be still. Watch what will be brought into your
mind and learn from it.
The love of God towards each one of us is deeper than the love of any human
being, even deeper than the love of your own spouse! Who else would be so
willing to die for us without any though of doubt or hesitation? Who else is so
willing to wait on us when we wander away in lust and sin? Who else doesn't mind
being constantly at our side, no matter how annoying we are? He loves us beyond
our imagination, and more than that, He hurts when we let our illicit lovers
take over our lives and ruin the close rapport we have with Him.
"I wonder if I should purchase that book."
"But you still have 2,246 books to read!"
"What's another book!"
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.