Wedded to the Nazarene

Wedded to the Nazarene Offered by Doug Blair, Waterloo ON, 2020

Holy Matrimony

As sure as sunrise tomorrow Or sweet dove’s Soft cooing at night The words of my Saviour

Are certain The wedding day Full of delight.

In place where all evil Is missing And the watchful rejoice As His Bride And the loved ones Are thrilled by the City Of song and sweet Service inside.

And it’s Jesus who Pledges betrothal And it’s Jesus who Sets scores aright.

See your place In the gladsome reunion In that Home where The Son is the light.

A Thought

Perhaps in our mortal sphere the highest impression of love that we might imagine is marriage. Partnership. Selfless kindness.

Infatuation. Attraction. Forgiveness. Kindred spirits. Treasured company. Reproduction. Journeying together by choice. Holy Covenant with witnesses.

The Bible story of Ruth bears witness beautifully to much of this.

A young Gentile wife has been widowed. Her mother­in­law Naomi as well. A decision is made to go back to the old country of the Jewish mother and to make a go of it, but starting out with almost nothing.

Ruth starts to attend in the fields of the well respected Boaz and to glean grain from the corners in his season of harvest.

Romance follows and the farmer who is a distant relative stands in the position of kinsman­redeemer. Through a marriage and a pledge he is able to restore to Ruth the lands and position and favour of her deceased former husband.

A baby soon arrives and this one is to be forerunner of King David and ultimately of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And here we stand friends having lost much in our own existence through sin and death and selfish error. The answer? A wedding and a new family connection.

Ruth, Rejoicing

Your fairness is undoubted Your workers bless your grace And I am here, a widow

Bereft of child and place.

And gleaning in your barley So mercifully allowed And finding much to gather From one so well endowed.

Naomi says you’re special With ties to all our men And Jewish law invests in you

The means for me to smile again.

Enjoying lands once family­owned A baby at my breast.

As Kinsman you redeem it all

And Ruth is doubly blessed.

I come now in the even­time When you are deep in sleep And settle quiet at your bed And lay down at your feet.

Oh see me gentle Boaz And do the works of law And beckon elders at the gate To heed that custom levirate.

Such wonder that this Gentile maid Should leap from sad despair And trust a farmer’s word and bond And thrive within his care.

More Than Conquerors November 04, 2011

A wonderful image is offered in Romans 8:

33Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

34Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

To be more than a conqueror. To get more than a battle won. To get the assurance of ongoing victories. This is the heritage of those taken up in a covenant of love with Jesus. Trials come and we are tempted to fret. "Oh, it looks as if I am going to go through that knothole again. I don't think I can stand it one more time. Last time I got around to the point of trusting in God, and He brought the deliverance in a way not quite anticipated. But I don't think that I can go through it again; don't think that I should have to. It just isn't fair!"

Have you ever heard yourself thinking or talking along this line? Has it not ultimately been proved to be a waste of adrenaline and a denial of His love and of the appropriateness of His plans for you?

The old evangelist R. W. Schambach gave a beautiful illustration of being more than a conqueror. He described a long drawn­out prize fight in boxing. Many rounds and many apparent swings in the advantage. Toe to toe; blow for blow. Finally in the tenth the one pugilist seems to receive a supernatural surge of determination, agility and punch power. A knockout to the cheers of the crowd! The belt. The ensuing press conference. The money prize.

And the weary fighter changes in the dressing room, takes his dream cheque home, and turns it over to his wife. Now SHE is more than a conqueror.

One gets the same impression in reading the Old Testament story of Ruth.

The wealthy civic leader Boaz has been kind in harvest time to the sorry little Gentile widow. Her loving mother­in­law Naomi realizes that this man is near kinsman to the deceased husband and that God is at work in all these circumstances to give the woman a home and a name and honour and the laughter of children. Boaz is able to attend to legal matters at the gate before witnesses to bring it all to pass. Dear Ruth is more than a conqueror. It has all been done for her. (see also Deuteronomy 25: 5,6 and Ezekiel 16: 6­10) LABELS: OVERCOMING PREVAILING RESCUE SCHAMBACH

A Prayer Lord Jesus it will take something supernatural for me to be wedded to you. I have my issues of sin and shame, needing a cleansing and cleansings thereafter. Systems of men do not work for this. I know...I have tried many, only to be disappointed.

Lord please forgive me and accept me and seal the promise with your Holy Spirit. I will then have the best Bridegroom, and the best of purpose and prospect. In this way I am saved. A thankful heart and a joy beyond comprehension will ensure obedience and trust forever.

Heaven is the ultimate destination, with you and all of the saints.