Author: words and signs

Fruit for God

“I went down into the nut tree grove, to see the green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine budded, and the pomegranates were in flower.”

The woman now speaks and tells us her intention and actions. She goes down to the nut grove, because she presumes her beloved is there. Nuts were used to throw in wedding ceremonies and are indicative of rich food. They are the kernel of the fruit and rich in vitamins and energy. This is imagery of the fruitfulness hoped for in marriage.

She goes everywhere she think he might be so that she can meet with him. Even if it is unexpected, the meeting is sought, and the beloved is sought out. Such is her adoration for him, there are no other considerations, or thoughts of social decorum or what other people will think about her. This picture is being used to show her utter devotion to the beloved and her desire for him as a person. This is the attitude of the devoted believer in the Lord Jesus. They wish for rich fruit to be produced in their lives for His sake.

She goes to see the green plants in the valley, which is a verdant spot. It speaks of life and sustenance and the virulent growth of natural things. God gives life to all things, and they grow and cannot be stopped because God gives the increase. It is impossible to stop things growing and hard work to keep them under control! This valley is rich in all things that are required for growth – earth, warmth, light and water. it is the ideal growing place and the woman has planted her seeds and plants there. She is tend it them and checking that they are growing well.

The woman is going to see if the vine she has planted has budded and if the pomegranates she has tended are in flower, so that they will fruit later in the season. This is emotive and the imagery is used to reinforce the fruitfulness of this love relationship. 

The vines are the groups of believers, or individual believers that are thriving in this valley. The valley is watered by the power of the Spirit and the churches and Christians are upheld by the work of the Spirit of God in lives. 

The pomegranate has beautiful flowers at first, the first signs of life, and the delight of the Saviour Jesus, as He watches the young believers in Him. The flower precede the fruit and when the fruit is ripe, the fruit bursts to reveal the luscious seeds inside, good for eating and rich in nutrients. These are good for human consumption and for our delight also. This points to the rich fruitfulness in the life of the mature believer, and the bounty that God expects from His people. 

These analogies point to the fruitfulness expected in marriage and are the forerunner of the woman’s expectation as she think of life with her beloved man. People wish the married couple well and wish them happiness, enjoyment, peace, joy, and children. This is the desire of this woman also, and the beautiful scene of her tending this luscious garden, is highly emotive and indicative of the passion she bears towards her  beloved one, and the expectations of what is ahead. 

It is easy to translate this into the life of the believer, and see the desires for the fruit of the Holy Spirit and the peace and joy we desire in our lives. We also desire eternal fruit for God, the fruit of souls brought to faith because of our care and attention to them, and the Cristian witness of our lives and words. The longing is always directed toward the Beloved. He is the centre and sun in the life of the Christian and in the life of the church. No other takes His place, and our business and work should never take away from our devotion to Him only. He takes centre stage in our lives and we obey His voice when He speaks to us. 

Our lives should be fruitful gardens and we attend to them with care and attention. We are guided by the Word of Scripture and the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and live godly lives, quietly and with great energy for the purposes that God requires of us. Our Iives should be beautiful for Him, and He will walk in His gardens with great joy and great satisfaction. 

Intentions

“The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.”

Proverbs 20:5

Who can decipher why they think, say, feel or why they do what they do? Our deeds, thoughts, speech and feeling are often a mystery to us. We just live and be and don’t think why. Why is a painful and heart- searching question, and so we avoid it. We find ourselves avoiding people, places and events that cause us this heart- searching. Heart- searching is very tiring and often we don’t know the answers to the questions we find ourselves asking ourselves.

It is also dangerous, as it can make us dissatisfied with ourselves and we can start not liking ourselves very much. We question or motives for doing the things we do. We examine our thoughts and wonder about them. This can bring us down, since we don’t really know what to do with what we find. Perhaps we seek help, but usually only when it starts to affect our lives significantly. We see prejudice in there, bad attitudes and lots of negativity. We search for good in us, but it is hard to find because our reasons for doing things is often suspect.

God tells us all about it in the Holy Scriptures. They explain us to ourselves, especially in books like Proverbs. Proverbs is full of challenge and instruction and gives us wisdom if we take it in. If we gain this insight, we can start to explain our fears and guilt about ourselves. As we see the negativity, we can do something about it. We can bring it to God, because He can help us to understand and give us the power to change. He does this when we want to change.

This is the key. We run from ourselves when we don’t want to face up. We don’t look for answers because we don’t really want to know. We look in the wrong places for answers, places where we think it won’t be too painful for us to face up to what is troubling us. We look in the right place and run away again, because we don’t like what we find, and are not prepared to do anything about it. And so the avoidance goes on…

What if I face up and do what God tells me to do? What if I finally solve my moral dilemmas and get a full and free forgiveness for everything, as God promises? I could have a new start, a new life, I could go places free from guilt and fear of all kinds.!

“Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is the bondservant of sin. A bondservant doesn’t live in the house forever. A son remains forever. If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

John 8:34-36

Only God’s Son, Jesus can make us free. If He sets us free, we really are free. He took the punishment due to me on Himself and paid the cost to set me free. I have nothing else to do. If the payment is made, there is no more guilt.

“God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”

John 3:16-21

We are free people, with no judgment hanging over us and we have the light of Christ in our lives so that we can walk in the right way. We have finally found the truth, and the truth has set us free!

But if we do not find this truth, we are already condemned. We are condemned because we have our sin weighing us down and we have not believed. Only faith saves us, and not our own ideas.

We are now free to examine ourselves and deal with what is inside us. We can finally face up and get our problems sorted out. We have the joy of knowing that our Saviour Jesus, who we have trusted in, will never leave us, so we can face the worst of things and find forgiveness and power to change.

If we want more insight, God tells us to ask for it and He will give it.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, without any doubting….”

James 1:2-6

Out of our mind

“If we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again.

So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!”

2 Corinthians 5:13-17

When Paul stood before Festus, he was regarded as being a bit “mad.” On account of the doctrines he spoke to the king. Maybe it was because of the way he spoke, with authority and dignity and enthusiasm. Paul was a dynamic and fiery character, who did exploits for God. He was not shy or retiring and had such a love for his Saviour, that he was sometimes taken into the heavens in ecstasies.

“… For I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I don’t know, or whether out of the body, I don’t know; God knows), such a one caught up into the third heaven. I know such a man (whether in the body, or outside of the body, I don’t know; God knows), how he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.”

2 Corinthians 12:1-4

Paul was blessed with visions and insight that others did not have. Perhaps people thought he was a bit “different” a bit unusual and therefore labelled him with judgment. Paul is not bothered about his state of mind before Christ, and recognises the work of God in his life. In his moments of ecstasy, Paul is “out of his mind.” He is not operating as a usual person, but is seeing and hearing things for another dimension, the spiritual realm.

He is a deeply spiritual man and loves God above all others. God richly blesses him with insight, wisdom and a deep understanding of the Scriptures, which he had studied from a young child. Paul’s spiritual insight we have recorded for us in the New Testament, in his epistles. They are the very words of God.

This is why He is so useful to the growing church of Christ all around the world. They can learn for him in all sorts of ways. Paul speaks to them rationally and “in his right mind.” This is so that people could access his words and think reasonable about them. His words are recoded for us, so that we also can share in that process.

Paul lived for Christ, and so should we. We are dead to ourselves and alive to the spiritual life inside of us. It ought to make a difference to us and the way we operate. We can see into heaven, thought the Scripture and the experience of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The next section in chapter 12 is Paul talking about his “thorn in the flesh.” Many regard this as some physical abnormality, but could have been a mind orientated condition, that was hard to decipher and cope with. This would fit the many skills and abilities, especially of the mind, that Paul possessed. It made him stronger and the person God intended him to be. To sort out a mind dilemma from a vision, is a difficult thing to do! But Paul was guided and taught by the Spirit, and we have everything recorded for our purposes, to guide us also.

Wether we are regarded as “out of our mind,” or not, is immaterial, since we are in Christ and He orders all these things, for our benefit. We listen to the Word and the Spirit and obey the Lord in all things, doing all for the benefit of the body of Christ, the church, His Beloved bride…

What we need

“As it is written, “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”

2 Corinthians 8:15

We all are given what we need. It is given because even if we are able to earn it, that is the mercy of God. It all belongs to Him and He gives liberally to all.

The reference in this verse is to the provision of manna in the wilderness. The people of God wandered for forty years in the desert scrubland. God provided in miraculous ways for that vast group of people. Their shoes never wore out and they had fresh food every day.

“He humbled you, and allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you didn’t know, neither did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread only, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord, does man live.”

Deuteronomy 8:3

The humbling was to be totally dependant on God, and they were. They were amply provided for. The temporal provision was to teach them the spiritual provision and to know that physical bread (manna) was never enough. They needed the closeness of their Lord and God. But they didn’t want the Lord…

“When they measured it with an omer, he who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack. They gathered every man according to his eating.”

Exodus 16:18

Yet it was still provided and they were physically sustained. No one had too much of too little. Their bodies were preserved, but none of that generation entered the promised land. A sobering thought.

They grumbled. God provided birds to eat. They wanted drinks, cucumbers, melons, to such an extent that some wanted back into slavery!

“Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, “I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5

Such is the nature of humans, and the constant desire for more. It is ugly in the physical, but not in the spiritual. To want more of God is the point. He provides all our spiritual needs, beginning with spiritual life when we first come to Him for forgiveness and faith. Our lives are then full of provision and we are taught by the Spirit of God. We should be growing and needing more and more food for our hungry souls. We need to feed ourselves daily and eat good spiritual food to keep our souls healthy.

It can be difficult to find good spiritual food and we also need the powers of discernment to know what is good and what is not. Our only reliable, source is the Word of God, and we must be conversant with it to be able to judge situations and people in our lives. We need to know who is true, and who isn’t. We need wisdom, discretion and insight to understand what we need to know in our lives. God provides to all who ask Him for these things, in sincerity, to use and develop for His glory.

Everyone gathered their own manna, and gathered enough for themselves to last the day. They couldn’t keep it over for the next day, it had to be fresh. So our walk with God should be fresh and real and intimate. We talk with Him always, remember His ways always and love him.

“But, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He (Jesus) said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He (the lawyer) answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” He (Jesus) said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.”

Luke 10:25-28

If we love God, we will have no fear, because we will recognise and appreciate His provision for us. It might be less than the people around us, or more… whatever way we live, we should be content. As we need more, God will provide. If We have much, it can get less, and our hearts must not belong to our belongings!

“Remember this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Let each man give according as he has determined in his heart; not grudgingly, or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that you, always having all sufficiency in everything, may abound to every good work.”

As it is written, “He has scattered abroad, he has given to the poor. His righteousness remains forever.”

2 Corinthians 9:6-9

However little we think we have, we can always give. There are people who really do live on the edge. Will we be able to fill the gap for them? As we see people in need, are we prepared to do something? It doesn’t matter how small, at least it is something. Sharing with a true heart, is so important. It is the the remaining righteousness of God.

God gives so liberally, for those who have eyes to see it. The greedy person who is never satisfied will never see it, and always think they need more. He gives to all, wether we ask or not. Blessings rain down on good and bad people alike. If we should ask, the promise is it will be given. It people ask of us, we should be able to give too.

If we are permitted to gather a lot, we might need a lot at that point in our lives, and also have enough to share. If we gather only a little, it is still sufficient.

“He (Jesus) said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they don’t sow, they don’t reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds!”

Luke 12:22-24

More than conquerors

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Even as it is written, “For your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:35-39

What does it mean to be more than a conqueror?

It more than just beating your troubles, it’s dancing on their grave!

We are not just over-comers, but rulers in the heavenly kingdom. we will reign over worlds with Christ, one day. Our future could not be brighter. There are things and civilisations out there that we don’t know about. There are creatures God has made that we have never seen. We will rule with Christ…

Why are we gloomy? Why so earth-bound? Even in this world we are more than victors. Oppression, anguish, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, war and death have no victory over the follower of Christ. We overcome all these things in the power of the Holy Spirt. God protects us and keeps our body, soul and mind. We are safe, whatever we find ourselves doing or going. Nothing is too hard for the Lord!

“Therefore, don’t be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed; and hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops. Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.”

Matthew 10:26-28

The worst that can happen in this life is that we are killed, but that only takes us to our Lord Jesus. Pain is not good, and torture would be pretty bad for us… this is a real fear… rejection is bad, exclusion is bad, painful illness is bad… but we overcome.. but it is difficult, so maybe death for the Christian isn’t so bad.

The Apostle Paul said, “for me to live is Christ, to die is gain..” What an amazing things to say.! Death is better for the Christian but life is full of Christ, so what’s the difference wether we live or die… we have Christ, therefore we are over-comers. We dance our way through trouble and death has no victory over us. We don’t just conquer our difficulties, we completely overcome them. We rule them, and don’t allow them dominion over us. Nothing can stop us as we live in the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, keeping to the law of God, to live Him completely and other people He puts in our way.

We should be living victorious lives for Him…

“Death is swallowed up in victory.” O Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 15:54-57

Tending the lilies

“I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. He browses among the lilies,”

Song of Songs 6:3

Here is a statement of belief, devotion and true love.

Surely there is no statement so secure than the fact uttered, that the woman belongs with the beloved, and the beloved belongs to her. She belong to me, He belongs to me, I belong to him. It’s a dun deal! No one can separate them, or say they are not together, even though they are not yet married. If they were to be separate, as they are now, they still belong each other. It is so romantic, yet so certain and positive.

The Beloved of our souls, also belongs to us and we to Him. Nothing can separate us or take us away from Him or His loving heart.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

John 10:27-28

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Even as it is written, “For your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:35-39

Those who belong to Christ can never be snatched away. We are forever safe and sound. If we could be lost again, it would not be a great salvation and Jesus would not be a great Saviour! His promises cannot be lost or thwarted. Even before the final consummation at the heavenly marriage supper of Christ, we are as safe as ever. Just like this woman is betrothed to the beloved, so we also are betrothed to ours. Since He is the living God, He will keep us and hold us fast to Himself.

At this time, our Beloved is not with us bodily, although we do have the Holy Spirit within, to witness to us, strengthen us and teach us. But we wait patiently for that great day when we will see Him face to face and know Him, even as He knows us. Jesus has gone into heaven to prepare a place for us. He ever prays for us and never relishes His work of caring for His people.

He is browsing amount the lilies, the lilies being His people, and He is tending to their needs, and encouraging them, as they walk the difficult heavenly road in this world, as He also did. We know Jesus will be with us, because He has promised, and we know He will never leave us either, because He has promised.

Matthew 28:18-20

There is work to be done. We have friends as the woman has friends, and they are wondering about us and asking questions. We must be ready to give account, to know where our Beloved is and how He is searching out those who will come to Him. We are ready to speak of Him, even as we live for Him in all circumstances.

“But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “Don’t fear what they fear, neither be troubled.” But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear: having a good conscience; that, while you are spoken against as evildoers, they may be disappointed who curse your good way of life in Christ.”

1 Peter 3:14-16

Whatever happens to us, we are safe. God will keep us in this life as long as He intends. We don’t have to worry. When it is time to go, He will tell us, and we get to leave this sorry state of a world, and go to be with our Beloved. It’s that straight forward. We really don’t have to worry about anything. God has everything worked out in advance for the good of all His people.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.”

Ephesians 2:10

All our lives are subject to the will of God, and we must trust Him in all things, even the sins and mistakes we do, and all part of the plan. We keep ourselves pure, knowing we will fall, and yet still trusting in our Beloved, who never stops “browsing among His lilies,” and will arrange every one of them in His delightful garden, to the praise of His glory, and the uplifting of each one of them, to His throne.

Honour and shame

“The wise inherit honor, but fools get only shame.”

Proverbs 3:35

This verse comes at the end of a chapter about wisdom. Proverbs chapter three would be good to learn by heart. Wisdom is personified as a woman, and is further displayed in the last chapter of Proverbs, as the perfect woman. This is also for men, but God lifts women up to show their honour and dignity before Him. She is a woman we need to get in our lives. Those who get wisdom and grow in wisdom, inherit honour, not just in the life to come, but also this life. If we ignore or avoid wisdom, we will get only shame. Our lives will not count, and we will not be regarded by even human society.

“Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.” V17

She brings peace and tranquility to the mind and heart and so to be with her is good and pleasant. She will do you no harm, only good all your life. A good man will look for a good and wise wife, who will do him good. A wise man seeks wisdom and knows where to find it. A godly man will want a godly woman and will respect and honour her, for her inbuilt and godly wisdom.

“Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.” V13-14

If we find wisdom, she brings understanding and riches. If we are wise, we will make wise choices, and always have that we need and more. God does reward wisdom with prosperity in varying degrees. If we are wise we can manage our lives well, get on with people and make good decisions.

This grows with age and experience. As we get older, wisdom should also grow.

“Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old.”

Job 12:12

We get wisdom from understanding and obeying the Word of God, and through our life experiences. Life crisis and traumas, can make us hard-hearted and bitter, when we go through them in our own strength, but if we walk with God, we grow through traumas and become strong in our souls and in wisdoms ways. As time goes by we gain a heart of wisdom.

“Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble.” V23

“The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong.”

Psalm 37:30

If we walk with wisdom throughout our lives, we will not keep making the same mistakes, and stumble about, hurting ourselves and other people. We will be resilient to the hurts of others and be able to bind up the broken hearted.

“Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.” V25-26

When things go wrong in the world, those who are trusting in God and walking with wisdom, will not be overtaken by disasters and tragedy. God will keep them, because they understand the Scriptures and are able to process life events correctly, not allowing them to dictate their actions or mindset. The wicked are not so. They will succumb to difficulties and be always needy.

We take hold of these great and precious promises and take them into our psyche, and follow our Lord Jesus in wisdom’s ways and obey Him.

“And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

Luke 2:52

Jesus was ultimately wise and was called “the Way, the truth and the Life” No one gets wisdom apart from Him. The Jewish leaders couldn’t understand where His wisdom came from. They were astounded and hated Him for it.

“When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands?”

Mark 6:2

Surely they are left without excuse that they did not follow such a wise one and unreservedly, obey Him!

Jesus the King and Lord of heaven and earth, is finally lifted up to the highest place…

“Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever !” The four living creatures said,“ Amen ,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.”

Revelation 5:13-14

This is also our only appropriate response. This is wisdom…