All is quiet in the house again this morning as I find myself back in Zoe's room with my Bible and moleskine. It's funny - some times I'll spend time with the Lord without that crazy little journal...it'll be a very real God-connect, but an hour later it's as if it were ancient history. Something about scribbling down fragments of an encounter moves it from the mythical realm to the concrete.
Our reading schedule had us re-reading Song of Solomon 8:7,6 & Daniel 9, along with Malachi 4 this morning. The Song of Solomon passage stood out because of it's powerful words on the strength of love. Verse 6 says...
Place me like a seal over your heart, for love is as strong as death....
Love is as strong as death. What an interesting thought. We think of death as so radically permanent - getting the last word, so to speak - that it's hard to think of anything of equal strength. Of course, death does come. It's come to most humans who've ever lived on the planet - the slim exception being those alive right now, and unless the Lord returns in our lifetime, it's coming for us. So how does this work with love being of comparable strength?
I think the answer lies not in idea of some cosmic arm wrestling match between death and love, but rather in the fact that one will endure while the other fades away. The great cosmic competition is not an arm wrestling match...it's a marathon. Death, for all it's strength, is not a marathon runner. It's a sprinter. It makes a big show and ends up standing in it's lane, double over and gasping for breath as love runs on.
"...Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
I'm putting all my money on the long distance runner.
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5 comments:
You mention a reading schedule. Is there any reading schedule and/or prayer focus available for this 40 day fast?
so good.
What type of reading schedule do you use? Do you mind sharing?
That's so good. Several months back I was thinking about that verse and thinking how on the cross, Love won over death. But Jesus did more than conquer death, He provided us to conquer sin in our lives. Sin leads to death, both outwardly and inwardly. But Jesus defeated sin and death by washing us in His blood, the sacrifice of love. So when I think my sins have distanced me from Him, I remember and trust that His love is stronger than my sin.
Randy - Awesome! I myself just finished writing a brief posting on love and the call to prayer and fasting. It was so encouraging to me to find your readings on love! Blessings!
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