The Lure of Lesser Lovers - Girlfriends in God - October 13, 2014
October 13, 2014
The Lure of Lesser Lovers
Sharon Jaynes
Today’s Truth
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me (Revelation 3:20 NIV).
Friend to Friend
Have you ever wondered why God continues to woo and romance us (even though most of the time we don’t even recognize it)? I think it’s because our minds forget. Spiritual amnesia runs rampant as we wander off to the wooing of other lovers.
“Step right up!” the barkers of the world’s Big Tent call. “Come and see the greatest show on earth!” And even though we know in our heart we’re going to be disappointed, we enter the tent flaps, find our way to the seat marked on the ticket stub, and wait to be entertained and amazed with all the world has to offer. In the end, we are always disappointed. This was not the greatest show after all. And even though we don’t deserve it, God woos us yet again.
Sometimes I fear we are like Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. Throughout the entire story, Rhett Butler tried to win her heart, but Scarlett was smitten by the milquetoast Ashley Wilkes. Finally, as the story comes to a close, Rhett walks away in frustration. “I feel sorry for you, Scarlett,” he declares. “You are throwing away love with both hands and grabbing for that which will never love you.”
As I watched the movie recently, I kept thinking, Doesn’t she see how much Rhett really loves her? He’d move heaven and earth to please her, if she would but let him. Why is she going after someone who would never make her truly happy?
And we are Scarlet, ignoring the only One who can make us truly happy while chasing after figments of our imagination…things that will never make us happy—milquetoast lovers who pale in the shadow of the Lover of our Soul. Of course, in the end, Scarlett realizes her love for Rhett, and runs home to tell him so. But it is too late.
As with most analogies, this one has a fatal flaw…Jesus will never throw up His hands and walk away. “Here I am!” Jesus says. “I stand at the door and knock” (Revelation 3:20).
And friend, He’s knocking even today.
Let’s Pray
Jesus, thank You for never giving up on me. Forgive me when I look to people, possession, or power to satisfy me. Forgive me when I am enticed and drawn to other lovers. I know that You are the only One who can truly satisfy the longings of my heart. Thank You for wooing me once again.
I love You, Jesus.
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
When I was a little girl, I remember a picture of Jesus hanging in my Sunday school room. It was of Jesus knocking on a door. But there was something strange about that door. It didn’t have a doorknob on the outside.
What does that tell you about Jesus?
What do you think are “lesser lovers” of our world today? Let’s compare notes over at my Facebookpage.
More from the Girlfriends
Do you long to feel close to God but feel like there’s something missing? That you’ve missed that mysterious formula to make it happen? Do you have a glory ache—a persistent longing to experience God’s presence and working in your life, but you’re not quite sure how to make it happen? If so, my book, A Sudden Glory: God’s Lavish Response to Your Ache for Something More, is just for you. Join me in discovering how to erase the lines between the secular and the sacred and experience a deeper more intimate relationship with God than ever before. While you’re there, you can download a free chapter or watch a video book trailer. And for all you praying wives, come on over to The Praying Wives Club for daily encouragement!
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