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Day 39: Dark but Lovely (SoS 1:5a)

 The Bride says:


"I am dark, but lovely, o daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon." Song of Songs 1:5

At the initial stages of love for God, one of the truths that must take root in our hearts is that no matter our imperfections, God loves us regardless. This is necessary because even though the Holy Spirit is working in us to do God's will, we still live in this weak earthly suit, our bodies. Jesus said in Matthew 26:41 concerning his disciples:

“...The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

For this reason, at the budding stage of love for and walk with God, we find ourselves faltering a lot. I am dark but lovely is a statement that represents that stage. It's the stage John in 1 John 2:12 referred to when he wrote:

“I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.”

What we need the most at this stage is to be grounded in righteousness and justification through Christ's sacrificial love for us.

God does expect us to be perfect (mature), but not by our own efforts alone but by receiving and putting His grace to work. The weakness of our flesh sometimes gets in the way of that which we truly want to do for God. That was the case with Simon Peter when Jesus was arrested.

When Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him three times before the cock crowed, Peter could've sworn on his very life that would never happen. He was indeed ready and determined to follow Jesus to the end. All consequences damned. When we read through the gospels, we'll see how much Peter was zealous for Jesus. But his human strength and will failed when he needed to stand by Jesus the most.

Peter did deny Jesus three times but we should never misunderstand his love. Peter's love was sincere, but his flesh was weak. 

One thing that struck me reading John 21 when Jesus appeared to Peter after His resurrection was that Jesus never mentioned Peter's errors. Peter was already forgiven before he even committed the error: he was forgiven when Jesus prayed for him.

The paradox of grace is that we are dark but lovely. God loves us despite our imperfections, God loves us despite us. It's a revelation David received when he said in Psalm 8:4:

“What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?”

God is never surprised by our sins and weaknesses. He knows us through and through and chose to love us despite. He's seen every error and mistake, every struggle and weakness afore time, and has factored all into redemption.

To be conscious of our sins and weaknesses without His unconditional love and already provided forgiveness results in guilt and condemnation which robs us of intimacy with Jesus. To know His unconditional love without recognizing we were underserving but qualified by grace in Christ births an entitlement mentality and nonchalant attitude. We must live conscious of both. When we understand this, we have confidence in God's love regardless of our actions or circumstances and we balance it with a life lived in the gratitude of grace.

So, no matter your imperfections and shortcomings, God loves you and appreciates your desire to live according to His ways. You must see yourself not in the light of these weaknesses but as God sees you: loved, righteous, and perfect in Christ.

PRAY WITH ME:
Thank you, Lord, for your unconditional love. Thank you because you love me regardless of my imperfections. I will live each day in gratitude for what you have done for me through Christ. Amen.

REFLECT AND ACT:
  • To walk with God without setbacks due to guilt and condemnation, we must know that through Jesus we are loved and accepted. So read Ephesians 1:1-14 (preferably in different versions of the Bible) till you understand it.
  • Find the key verses in the above reading. Memorize and meditate on them.

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