A word fitly spoken is like APPLES OF GOLD in a setting of silver – Proverbs 25v11
During the past few weeks we have seen some amazing things in Proverbs 30v18 and the last one is “the way of a man with a young woman”. Recently I was talking to a 12 year old boy and asked him if he had any girlfriends – he looked at me in horror and said ”yuk” – I thought to myself he definitely won’t be saying that in a few years’ time!!
The 1995 rugby world cup semi-final between England and New Zealand is etched in my memory as I watched Jono Lomu fending off
numerous England players like swatting a fly before literally running over their fullback with an awesome display of power and strength. But what was amazing was seeing how this giant of a man was so tender towards his young lady. The relationship between man and woman is so special that a whole book in our Bibles, namely Song of Solomon, is devoted to it because it is a beautiful picture of Christ and the Church.
The Bible refers to Christ as the Bridegroom and all who have surrendered their lives to Christ as the Church or His Bride. Christ’s love for
us is what we should emulate as we read in Ephesians 5v25 ”Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up
for her”. The way men treat their ladies is a testimony to this world of the love of Jesus Christ to us. Men do we love and care for our wives as Christ loves the Church and died for Her? Men before you complain that “she doesn’t make me happy anymore” consider how many times you don’t make the Lord happy. But Christ never casts us away even when we don’t make Him happy – He continues to care for, feed, protect and love us.
What should our response be to that love? 1 John 4v19 says ‘we love Him because He first loved us”- If we really understand the greatness of God and what it cost Christ to die for our sins, instead of moaning about our situation, our Christian experience would be transformed and we would respond in adoration and thanksgiving every moment of every day as we read in 1 Thessalonians 5v18 “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”.
God Bless
Graeme Greenwood