"I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine." Songs of Solomon 6:3
"My Beloved is mine and I am His" Songs of Solomon 2:16
What a glorious thing to know that there is a God in Heaven who calls me His own. And who I can call mine. I don't know if I've realized this beautiful truth as deeply as I have lately.
A boy called me His. Such a new thing for me. Sure, people have called me theirs in the last 25 years of my life. I've been "my friend" and even "my bestfriend." And I've been "my daughter," "my sister", "my cousin" etc (relationship that aren't by choice of course, though wonderful nonetheless). And then, though slightly less personal "my student," "my employee," "my coworker."
But it's such a strange thing to be chosen. To have someone identify themselves with you. To have someone make the choice to have part of their identity become wrapped up with their relationship to you. Who I am affects who he is. And then to think what it means when someone uses these possessive pronouns- "my, mine" and when others refer to you as "his." To admit possession of something- what does that even mean? Responsibility? Protection? Provision?
But thinking about what it really means when someone relates themselves to you (is that what it is to be in a relationship? two people relating to each other?) has truly made me look at what it means that God relates Himself to me.
God.
Triune.
Father. Son. Spirit.
Complete. Whole. Holy.
Relating, identifying, possessing- me.
God had no lack. No need. And yet He created humanity. He created humans who He related Himself to- Creator. We fell. We sinned. We chose separation from Him. And yet He chose a people. He called them "my people."
"And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people." (Lev 26:12)
"But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. " (Jeremiah 7:23)
A people. Who would fail. Who would lack faith. Who would disobey. He chose them still. He called Himself their God. He set apart a nation that would show the nations around them who He was. What He was like. His character. His attributes.
"And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine." Leviticus 20:26
And then He chose to be "their Redeemer."
"But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. " Isaiah 43:1
"And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God." Hosea 2:23
And He chose those who would identify themselves with Him and with His people to be His people as well. Rahab. Ruth.
"Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants... for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people...The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him." Isaiah 56: 6-8
And He sent His Son. His greatest Possession. His only Begotten Son.
"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." (Mat 1:21)
Without Christ. Without Him identifying Himself with me. My identity was My sins. My Shame. My Unrighteousness. These were the things that were mine. These were the things that owned me. That possessed me. My identity. The things that Separated me.
But Christ came. Bore it all. Broke down the separation... and shed His blood so I could be His.
"And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are." John 17:10-11
To be His.
To be promised protection:
"Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. " 1 Chronicles 16:22
To be His.
To be promised provision:
"And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. " Joel 2:26-27
"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows." Luke 12:6-7
To be His.
to be promised intimacy:
"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. " John 10:14
And I know that there is so much more that it means to be Christ's. To be God's. T0 be His. And so I'm going to continue to pursue Him. And to allow the love that has enveloped me to continue to open me up more to His love. I can only love Him because He first loved me. Now I'm free to love and to be known and to know and to be loved. And to pursue it all.
"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. " Philippians 3:12
"My Beloved is mine and I am His" Songs of Solomon 2:16
What a glorious thing to know that there is a God in Heaven who calls me His own. And who I can call mine. I don't know if I've realized this beautiful truth as deeply as I have lately.
A boy called me His. Such a new thing for me. Sure, people have called me theirs in the last 25 years of my life. I've been "my friend" and even "my bestfriend." And I've been "my daughter," "my sister", "my cousin" etc (relationship that aren't by choice of course, though wonderful nonetheless). And then, though slightly less personal "my student," "my employee," "my coworker."
But it's such a strange thing to be chosen. To have someone identify themselves with you. To have someone make the choice to have part of their identity become wrapped up with their relationship to you. Who I am affects who he is. And then to think what it means when someone uses these possessive pronouns- "my, mine" and when others refer to you as "his." To admit possession of something- what does that even mean? Responsibility? Protection? Provision?
But thinking about what it really means when someone relates themselves to you (is that what it is to be in a relationship? two people relating to each other?) has truly made me look at what it means that God relates Himself to me.
God.
Triune.
Father. Son. Spirit.
Complete. Whole. Holy.
Relating, identifying, possessing- me.
God had no lack. No need. And yet He created humanity. He created humans who He related Himself to- Creator. We fell. We sinned. We chose separation from Him. And yet He chose a people. He called them "my people."
"And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people." (Lev 26:12)
"But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. " (Jeremiah 7:23)
A people. Who would fail. Who would lack faith. Who would disobey. He chose them still. He called Himself their God. He set apart a nation that would show the nations around them who He was. What He was like. His character. His attributes.
"And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine." Leviticus 20:26
And then He chose to be "their Redeemer."
"But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. " Isaiah 43:1
"And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God." Hosea 2:23
And He chose those who would identify themselves with Him and with His people to be His people as well. Rahab. Ruth.
"Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants... for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people...The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him." Isaiah 56: 6-8
And He sent His Son. His greatest Possession. His only Begotten Son.
"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." (Mat 1:21)
Without Christ. Without Him identifying Himself with me. My identity was My sins. My Shame. My Unrighteousness. These were the things that were mine. These were the things that owned me. That possessed me. My identity. The things that Separated me.
But Christ came. Bore it all. Broke down the separation... and shed His blood so I could be His.
"And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are." John 17:10-11
To be His.
To be promised protection:
"Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. " 1 Chronicles 16:22
To be His.
To be promised provision:
"And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. " Joel 2:26-27
"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows." Luke 12:6-7
To be His.
to be promised intimacy:
"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. " John 10:14
And I know that there is so much more that it means to be Christ's. To be God's. T0 be His. And so I'm going to continue to pursue Him. And to allow the love that has enveloped me to continue to open me up more to His love. I can only love Him because He first loved me. Now I'm free to love and to be known and to know and to be loved. And to pursue it all.
"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. " Philippians 3:12
