Just The Two Of Us
Dear Friends,
Jason and I recently celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. We celebrated it by going away, just the two of us, for a long weekend. It was a special time of enjoying things that we like to do together, such as shopping, walking around the historic city of Chester, sharing morning coffee and having some great meals together. It was so good to be able to focus on us as a couple, to have the time to be together and enjoy each other's company. To talk about things that were important to us and then at other times just to enjoy a companionable silence without the need to fill awkward silences. To be able to just be ourselves rather than trying to be something we are not.
I would love to be more spontaneous, to decide the night before that we would go away for the weekend, but that's just not practical. Everyone leads busy lives, with various responsibilities. So if quality time like this is going to happen it needs to be planned, other things need to be put in place so that it is possible to have time as a couple.
We know that no earthly marriage is perfect, because not one of us is perfect, but it can still be a good example to those around us of the love that God has for us and the kind of relationship he wants with us.
The marriage relationship is a picture of the relationship God wants with his people. The bible refers to us as the bride of Christ "Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honour to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself." Revelation 19:7 (NLT) and Paul writes to the Christians at Corinth "For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ." 2 Corinthians 11:2 (NLT).
In his letter to the Ephesians Paul writes more about this "31 As the Scriptures say, 'A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.' 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one." Ephesians 5:31-32 (NLT)
Just as there is a commitment between a husband and wife, God is passionately committed to us. More than anything he desires an intimate relationship with us. He longs for us to spend time with him, to be totally focused on him, to give him our full attention.
Remember what I wrote at the beginning. That's what God longs for with each of his people. So let's apply it to ourselves. In this kind of relationship with God, he is the centre of my life, he is my priority. I don't need or want anyone else or anything else to take his place. He is everything to me. We are like-minded, we enjoy being together, sharing life together, having common interests. When I'm with him I'm free to be myself, knowing he loves and accepts me, that he will always love and accept me. "Long ago the Lord said to Israel: 'I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.'" Jeremiah 31:3 (NLT) God said this many years ago to his people, Israel, but it's good to know that they also apply to us today. There's is no danger of his love for me growing cold or that he will become indifferent to me because his love is constant and ever-lasting. I can enjoy times of just being with him, in the silence, soaking in his presence, there is no need to be talking all the time. At other times we can enjoy sharing on a deep level, sharing what's on our hearts, sharing joys and sorrows, telling him things I would never dream of saying to another for fear of how they would react.
Just as people need to plan for time together, so it's vital that we plan for quality time with God. If we don't, then it's quite likely it will never happen and we will find that we are drifting apart. Time will pass, days, weeks, months and we will not be able to remember the last time we actually enjoyed time alone with God.
Whatever our marital status is, single, married, divorced, widowed, each one of us has the opportunity to enter into a marriage relationship with God. We can all enjoy a committed relationship with God who is totally devoted to us and whose love for us is greater than any other we will ever know.
To Think About:
Are you in a committed relationship with God?
Is he at the centre of your world or have you replaced him with someone or something else?
What does it mean in practice for you to be Christ's spouse? What is your part in the relationship?
Vicki
Jason and I recently celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. We celebrated it by going away, just the two of us, for a long weekend. It was a special time of enjoying things that we like to do together, such as shopping, walking around the historic city of Chester, sharing morning coffee and having some great meals together. It was so good to be able to focus on us as a couple, to have the time to be together and enjoy each other's company. To talk about things that were important to us and then at other times just to enjoy a companionable silence without the need to fill awkward silences. To be able to just be ourselves rather than trying to be something we are not.
I would love to be more spontaneous, to decide the night before that we would go away for the weekend, but that's just not practical. Everyone leads busy lives, with various responsibilities. So if quality time like this is going to happen it needs to be planned, other things need to be put in place so that it is possible to have time as a couple.
We know that no earthly marriage is perfect, because not one of us is perfect, but it can still be a good example to those around us of the love that God has for us and the kind of relationship he wants with us.
The marriage relationship is a picture of the relationship God wants with his people. The bible refers to us as the bride of Christ "Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honour to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself." Revelation 19:7 (NLT) and Paul writes to the Christians at Corinth "For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ." 2 Corinthians 11:2 (NLT).
In his letter to the Ephesians Paul writes more about this "31 As the Scriptures say, 'A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.' 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one." Ephesians 5:31-32 (NLT)
Just as there is a commitment between a husband and wife, God is passionately committed to us. More than anything he desires an intimate relationship with us. He longs for us to spend time with him, to be totally focused on him, to give him our full attention.
Remember what I wrote at the beginning. That's what God longs for with each of his people. So let's apply it to ourselves. In this kind of relationship with God, he is the centre of my life, he is my priority. I don't need or want anyone else or anything else to take his place. He is everything to me. We are like-minded, we enjoy being together, sharing life together, having common interests. When I'm with him I'm free to be myself, knowing he loves and accepts me, that he will always love and accept me. "Long ago the Lord said to Israel: 'I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.'" Jeremiah 31:3 (NLT) God said this many years ago to his people, Israel, but it's good to know that they also apply to us today. There's is no danger of his love for me growing cold or that he will become indifferent to me because his love is constant and ever-lasting. I can enjoy times of just being with him, in the silence, soaking in his presence, there is no need to be talking all the time. At other times we can enjoy sharing on a deep level, sharing what's on our hearts, sharing joys and sorrows, telling him things I would never dream of saying to another for fear of how they would react.
Just as people need to plan for time together, so it's vital that we plan for quality time with God. If we don't, then it's quite likely it will never happen and we will find that we are drifting apart. Time will pass, days, weeks, months and we will not be able to remember the last time we actually enjoyed time alone with God.
Whatever our marital status is, single, married, divorced, widowed, each one of us has the opportunity to enter into a marriage relationship with God. We can all enjoy a committed relationship with God who is totally devoted to us and whose love for us is greater than any other we will ever know.
To Think About:
Are you in a committed relationship with God?
Is he at the centre of your world or have you replaced him with someone or something else?
What does it mean in practice for you to be Christ's spouse? What is your part in the relationship?
Vicki
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