The revelation of God’s love that is revealed through “The kisses of His mouth” produces a love back to God; “We love Him because He first loved us” (1John 4:19) And the Name of our Beloved, His character and nature revealed through the Cross and His faithful leadership in our lives invokes love within us. We all begin by being drawn by His love, but how we mature in our relationship varies in each individual.
The “maidens” in the Song of Solomon are not the bride; they represent immature believers who choose to follow at a distance. Because they don’t have the same dedication they will never attain to the level of maturity and intimacy with the Beloved as the bride. Mark 4:3-20 is a parable about how this "seed" of love, the Word, sown in our heart produces different results. There are some who have the seed “taken away by the evil one” because they did not understand it. (Matt 13:19) Others receive the “Kiss of His Word” immediately with joy, yet because they have not cultivated a “firm root” they abandon their pursuit of the Beloved when “persecutions arise because of the Word.” There are some who have this seed sown in their heart, but they are consumed with the affairs of this life; they are deceived by the riches of this world. The desire for other things enters in and “chokes” the word and it becomes unfruitful.
Then there are those who nurture the precious gift of His kisses. These individuals consider His love to be better than all the pleasures the world has to offer. They seek to know His emotions and desires and meditate on the passions of His heart. Like Mary, they choose the “One thing” above all other things in this life; that one thing being an intimate relationship with the One who calls us His bride, His perfect one. He says to those who pursue this intimacy, “You are altogether lovely and there is no blemish in you” Song of Solomon 4:7
Jesus then said in Mark 4:24-25 “Take care what you listen to…for whoever has, to him shall more be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him” When He releases the fire of His love upon our heart we need to aggressively guard the flame from being extinguished by the “desire for other things” We must make time to posture our hearts before Him and allow His living flame of love to consume all other loves until He alone is our “One thing.” The choices we make in our everyday lives will determine if we are going to live like a maiden or a bride.
Devotional Prayer
Holy Spirit, I pray for an anointing to keep a marriage covenant with the Bridegroom God; to love You with all my heart, all my mind, and all my strength. I want to pursue You like a bride in love, and not from a distance like the maidens. I set myself apart for You, making a covenant with my eyes and the things I look at; with my heart and my affections; with the words of my mouth and with my thoughts. I long to walk in purity before You as I am learning that “I am my Beloveds and His desire is for me.”
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