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Day 34: More Than Wine (SoS 1:4e)

"Draw me away! We will run after you. The king has brought me into his chambers. We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will remember your love more than wine. Rightly do they love you." Song  of Songs 1:4

In lesson 10 we stated the various ways the love of Christ is better than wine. We said:

  1. Unlike wine that wears off, it is unending
  2. Unlike wine that offers no solution, it saves 
  3. Unlike wine which deteriorates a man's health and life, it upgrades

We also said in lesson 11 that wine represents the pleasures of this world (material blessings) and sin.

The Bride and the Daughters say here, we will remember your love more than wine. It's a statement expressing that His love was now more real than the pleasures of the world and sin. That His love in their heart is exalted above all material blessings even the ones that He gives.

They say this right after they said they will be glad and rejoice in Him to specify the source and reason for their joy. it wasn't fame, money wealth, miracles, answered prayers, or anything else that makes His presence a place of gladness and rejoicing, it is His love. They have encountered how His love is greater than wine.

The Psalms are full of celebrations of God's love. One of such is Psalm 136:1:

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

You see, joy is not an emotion, it means it is not dependent on any external situation or circumstances. Galatians 5:22 tells us it is a fruit of the Spirit. A work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. That doesn't take the responsibility for joy from us though because just like every fruit, joy must be cultivated. We must make sure this fruit of joy matures in us.

When we go through life moody or gloomy, it's not because there is no joy, it is because the love of God in our hearts is not deep enough to overwhelm life's challenges. Once we remember, meditate on, and interact with this love in His chamber, however, joy springs forth from within.

This is crucial in difficult times. We must remember in those seasons God's unending, saving, and upgrading love. 1Peter 1:8 says:

“whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory”

The knowledge, revelation, and experience of God's love are the foundation for strong faith and joy. As God's love is not dependent on our emotions and circumstances, we can rejoice at any moment of our choosing. All we have to do is to call to mind His love. This is important when we spend time with Jesus our Beloved in the chambers and as we interact with the world.

PRAY WITH ME:
Lord, today I call to mind your love and I say thank you. Dear Holy Spirit, in times of trouble and temptation, remind me of the Father's love so that I may remain unshakeable in my faith. I make a decision today to remember your love and rejoice regardless of my emotions and circumstances around me. Amen.

REFLECT AND ACT:
  • Is there any situation that weighs you down every time it comes to mind? Remember the times you experienced God's love and mercy in the past and celebrate Him for them even in that situation.
  • Meditate on Jeremiah's words in Lamentations 3:22-23 till joy bubbles forth within you:
“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. (New Living Translation)”

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