Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Jul 28th, 2018 Are You Worth Looking For? – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Song of Solomon 1 – 4 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 11 – 12; Psalms 131 – 135; Proverbs 28)

Read the “0728 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.” (Song of Solomon 3:1-4)

Good morning. If you didn’t come home last night, how long would it be before your wife went looking for you? Would she wait until morning? Will she remain awake and not sleep? When you finally did wander in would she hug you and never let go? Or, would she “wap you one side the head” with rolling pin or cast-iron skillet? Solomon’s wife loved him so much that she arose in the night to look for her man. When she found him, she led him and would not let go. Maybe it’s the way we treat our better half.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it…” (Ephesians 5:25)

Jesus was beaten, whipped, had His beard pulled out, and nailed to a cross for His bride. What have you done for your bride lately? Do you still open the door for her? Do you hold her chair when she sits down. Does she want to hold you and not let go?

“When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept.” (John11:33-35)

When you see your bride crying and hurting does your heart break within you? Do you weep with her, and try to comfort her?

“So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.” (Ephesians 5:28-33)

Men, get your priorities straight. First is always God. Secondly comes your wife. Everything else comes third. Not only should you love your wife as Jesus loved the church, but love your wife as you love your own body. When it’s hungry, you feed it. When it’s lonely, you give it company. When your body is hurting, you give it what it needs to ease the pain. If you’re sensitive to the needs of your body, you should be sensitive to the needs of your wife. And what about the wife? Ephesians 5:33 tells the wife to see that she reverence her husband. Do you crave that reverence guys? Well…

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it…” (Ephesians 5:25)

Peace.