love

Roses Are Red 

pjimgallagher1 Comment

Song of Songs 7:1
“How beautiful are your feet in sandals, O prince’s daughter!”

Song of Solomon is like a series of love letters between Solomon and his bride, designed to express the great love they have for one another. Writing love letters is not unique to their relationship. Thousands of years later, it is still common for two people who are in love to write to one another. I recall a time when my wife and I were dating, she drove to the grocery store where I was working, just to put a note on my car,  so when my shift ended I would know she was thinking of me. Sadly, in many cases, as the years pass, love notes are replaced with “honey-do-lists”, and our relationship becomes more like partners working together for a common goal. In a time where communication is at high speed and easy access, many are failing to take the time to properly nurture their marriage relationship. Taking the time to write a love note to your spouse is a great way to make a positive investment in your marriage. I understand this is a difficult task for those who feel they are not particularly poetic. Perhaps a glance into some of Solomon’s notes will encourage you. In an attempt to express his love Solomon states,

“Your waist is a heap of wheat”

“Your neck is like an ivory tower”

“Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon”

No doubt, these things read differently in his culture, than they do in ours, but I still have to wonder if any woman really wants to be compared to wheat or an old building. I suggest, the real power behind his poetry was that he wrote it especially for her. Take a few moments to think about the things you appreciate most about your spouse and write a little note telling her (him) how much you love her (him) . Your marriage is worth the investment.

Pastor Jim

 

My Love 

pjimgallagher1 Comment

Song of Songs 4:7
“You are all fair, my love, and there is no spot in you.”

In addition to being a love story, Song of Solomon also illustrates the love God has for us. Perhaps, nowhere is that more evident than in this verse. It has been stated, love is blind; because when two people are truly in love they do not focus on what is wrong with one another. It is not that God’s love is blind and He does not notice sin in His children, but through the cross, He has washed our sins away. When God looks upon those who have been born again, He sees us as holy and blameless. Two different applications cry out to us from this one verse.

First, since we are holy, we should seek to live holy. It is important that our lifestyle lines up with the fact that we have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. Too often, Christians develop the attitude that since we are forgiven we can compromise and commit sin. While I am not suggesting Christians are perfect, I am saying we should seek to live in a way which reflects the fact we have been born again.

Second, if you are married, your spouse should be lavished in the kind of love that says, “There is no spot in you.” You should have eyes for your spouse alone, and she should know it. Marriage is a lifelong commitment, requiring a love that looks beyond faults, as we seek to grow old together. Take some time this week to think about a way to lavish your spouse with love.

Pastor Jim

 

The Honeymoon Experience 

pjimgallagher1 Comment

Song of Songs 3:11
“Go forth, O daughters of Zion,
And see King Solomon with the crown
With which his mother crowned him
On the day of his wedding,
The day of the gladness of his heart.”

Most of us have heard the phrase, “Honeymoon experience.” It carries the idea that the bliss we experience at the moment will soon pass and the reality of life will begin to set in. This phrase is applied to an array of new experiences, including getting a new job, car, house or beginning a new relationship. The sentiment is derived from people’s view of marriage. It will begin with bliss, but will soon settle into monotony or something worse. This view of marriage is both common and tragic. Common, because we see it happening all around us. Tragic, because this was never God’s intent for marriage.

In many cases, the model of marriage we see today looks something like this. A man and woman fall deeply in love with one another. They are willing to do anything for each other, and look for ways to express that love. As time goes on kids, work, trouble and familiarity slowly create distance between the two, and soon they are less of a married couple and more like business partners, raising their children together. Once the children are grown, their relationship becomes like roommates who are sharing the same domicile. Is this pattern avoidable? Is this what God intended when He created marriage?

One of the reasons relationships digress like this is, we fail to make the investments we made in the early years. We read of Solomon surrounded by princes, dressed to the hilt, and seeking to win the heart of the Shulamite woman. We read of her lying on her bed thinking of ways to express love to her beloved. That probably describes the early years of most relationships. Husbands and wives taking the time to express love to one another. The problem is we stop making those investment. Life becomes so busy we forget flowers, date nights, and getaways. Car payments, new appliances, and emergency funds steal away what used to be spent on investing in one another. I am not suggesting we are careless, but that we take proper care to make investments in the most important earthly relationship we have.

Look for a way to show your spouse the love you had in the early years. An investment like that will pay off for years to come.

Pastor Jim

 

Don’t Wake That Up

pjimgallagher1 Comment

Song of Songs 2:7
“I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the does of the field, do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases.”

Song of Solomon is a poetic love story between Solomon and a young Shulamite woman. Throughout the story, we read of their passionate expressions of love for one another. There is much for every married couple to learn, but there is another message tucked away within the story. It is a warning repeated three times throughout the book. The warning is simple, yet profound, “Do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases.” All those who hear the words of this poem, are to also hear the exhortation; the expressions of love declared in these pages have an appropriate place. That place is within the covenant of marriage.

It seems the lessons of Song of Solomon are ignored in two predominate ways. First, those who are not married, seek to express their love for each other in a way restricted to the marriage covenant. It has become all too common, even in Christian circles, for unwed couples to become sexually active. Instead of looking to the Scriptures as our model, we allow the morals of the world around us to determine what is acceptable or forbidden. If you are not married and involved in a relationship, keep in mind, sexual activity has been reserved by God as part of the marriage covenant. Once you become intimate with your boyfriend, girlfriend or fiancé, you become attached emotionally. Your emotional bond no longer allows you to properly evaluate the relationship, to see if you are in fact, good for one another. The unmarried MUST heed the warning and not awaken love until it pleases.

The second way Solomon’s message is ignored, is by those who are married. God’s Word illustrates and preserves, for our edification, an expression of what married love should look like. We find within it, the man doing all he can to ensure his bride knows the depth of his love for her. His love is seen as a banner covering her and providing comfort, security and encouragement. Through his love, she begins to heal from past hurts she experienced by her family’s mistreatment. Her love for him is expressed in giving herself to him in a way that demonstrates he means everything to her. Too often, we allow love to grow cold by not taking the time to invest love in one another. If you are married, take time this week to make investments of love into your spouse.

Pastor Jim

 

You Are Beautiful 

pjimgallagher1 Comment

Song of Songs 1:6
“Do not look upon me, because I am dark, Because the sun has tanned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; They made me the keeper of the vineyards, But my own vineyard I have not kept.”

Song of Songs 1:15
“Behold, you are fair, my love. Behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes.”

The Song of Solomon is a poetic drama. It tells the story of a love relationship between Solomon and a young woman. Within its pages we will find many lessons to apply to our marriage relationship. The first of these is the value of building up one another.

This young woman did not consider herself to be beautiful. Like many women, when she looked in the mirror, she only saw her faults. She saw, because of long days working in the hot sun, she would never fit the mold of what society, at the time, defined as beautiful. Solomon, on the other hand, saw her in an entirely different light. When he looked at her, he only noticed her beauty, and he was careful to let her know it.

There are at least two applications we should draw from this. First, it is important that we do not define beauty by the standards of the culture in which we live. A woman who spends too much time looking at fashion magazines, will no doubt begin to find fault with how she looks. She will be too fat, too skinny, too tall, or too short; all in the same moment. At the same time, it is critical that a man not let his eyes wander to other women. Second, there is great value in speaking encouraging words to one another. Husbands need to build their wives up with kind and loving words, that assure them of their beauty.

Pastor Jim

 

It’s Science 

pjimgallagher1 Comment

Ecclesiastes 12:13
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.”

The book of Ecclesiastes is a bit like an experiment. Solomon looked at life the way a scientist does an experiment. He sought to discover the meaning of life by asking questions, doing research, creating an hypothesis, and drawing a conclusion. It is here, at the end, that he makes his discovery known to his readers. His conclusion, after years of experimentation, is that the purpose of life will be found in fearing God and keeping His Word.

Fearing God is a reoccurring theme in the Bible. It is first mentioned in the story of Abraham being asked to offer his only son to God. This was a test to determine if Abraham loved God more than anything else in life. The conclusion we draw is that fearing God means loving Him above all else and seeking to please Him, no matter the cost. Practically speaking, to fear God means we should do what His Word says, rather than what our emotions, others or circumstances tell us to do. When a person refuses to succumb to the pressure to compromise, expresses the kindness of Christ when mistreated, or reaches out to share the Gospel, they are acting in the fear of God.

Solomon linked fearing God with keeping His commandments. These things cannot be separated. In fact, Solomon is not suggesting two different roads, but rather that fearing God involves obeying His Word. The way to check whether or not we fear God, is to simply examine if we are obeying our Bibles. If there are things you are involved in that are forbidden, or if you are neglecting what is clearly written, then you are failing to properly fear the Lord.

Some experiments do not need to be repeated. They have already been proven, and the best thing for us to do is trust the research of those who have gone before us. Instead of blindly walking through life without meaning or purpose, take a lesson from Solomon and commit yourself to reading the Bible, and doing what it says.

Pastor Jim

 

Bad Things. Good people 

pjimgallagher2 Comments

Job 40:8
“Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?”

When Job’s counselors accused him of wrong, he began to justify himself before them. They claimed he was a sinner, so he declared his righteousness. As this argument continued to develop, Job’s justification began to cast blame upon God. If Job was innocent, then God must be wrong for allowing these things to happen to him. Perhaps this was the earliest development of the accusation we offer hear today, “how could God allow bad things to happen to good people.”

God responds to this by pointing out that Job’s defense is really a form of accusation against the nature of God. This is not uncommon. The children of Israel did it in the wilderness when they accused Moses of leading them out of Egypt to die in the wild. The apostles did it when they accused Jesus of not caring about them when the waves began to crash over the boat, and we do it whenever we complain that the circumstances we are facing are unfair.

This is not just the behavior of the new, weak or carnal Christian. This is something we all struggle with. It is often difficult to accept that an uncomfortable or even painful experience could be allowed by a God who loves us. However, when we look at the heroes of faith, we come to realize that many of them faced extremely difficult experiences, and those experiences are often what forged them into the people they became. I think immediately of Paul and Silas, who upon being arrested, beaten, shackled and placed in prison, began to sing songs of worship. It was their attitude of trust, rather than accusation, that led to others coming to faith in Christ.

Pastor Jim

 

God Is Great

pjimgallagher2 Comments

Job 36:26
“Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; nor can the number of His years be discovered.”

God has gone to great lengths to ensure He is knowable by man. He gave us His written Word, took on the form of human flesh, and shines as a light through the lives of His followers. He has revealed Himself to be a loving Father, who is accessible through Christ, and who comes to the aid of His children. Sometimes, because of the intimacy of our relationship with God, we can lose sight of what some have referred to as, “the other worldliness of God.” While it is important to get to know Him through the pages of His Word, it is also important to realize, there are facets of His character that cannot be known.

Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”

One of the most valuable aspects of our walk with the Lord, is when we come to the realization, there are things about God beyond our discovery. This should not make us careless expositors, or lazy worshippers. It should instead, put a deep desire in us to worship the One who is past finding out.

Isaiah 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Too often we reduce God to something we can understand. The result, we are confused and frightened in our times of trial. We wonder at a love which allows us to go through such difficulty; because we do not realize His love is other worldly. There is simply nothing like it on the earthly plane. We question His mercy, grace, and kindness; all because we think we would not behave that way if we were God. It is important to keep in mind, there are characteristics about God beyond our understanding. This is in no way a cop-out, or an attempt to gloss over the difficult questions of life. It is a simple reality, and when properly grasped, will bring us to the place of being able to worship and witness in our times of trial and tragedy.

Let’s be sure to be the kind of worshippers who will adore the Lord for what we understand, and even what we don’t.

Pastor Jim

 

Full Of Grace 

pjimgallagher1 Comment

2 Corinthians 8:9
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”

Grace is a beautiful word. We use it today to speak of the beauty of motion. We might refer to the “grace” of a gymnast or a figure skater. The word used in the Bible speaks of the giving nature of God. Webster defines it as, “the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from Him.” In other words, grace is the character trait of God that causes Him to want to give what is best to men. This grace is immeasurable. Paul wrote to the Ephesians regarding the giving nature of God,

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. . . “ Ephesians 1:7

“. . . that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:7

Notice, he spoke of the riches of grace, and of the exceeding riches of grace. Riches refer to having a great amount. The term exceeding, means too much, or an over abundance. We could say, God has too much grace. So much, He cannot help but pour it out on those who belong to Him.

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”

While His grace is more than we could ever completely fathom, it is also something we can measure and experience. It is measured at the cross. It was on the cross, ‘the exceeding riches of His grace” was poured out; Jesus used the simple phrase “He gave His only Son.” Because of the gift of Christ, the grace of God should never be questioned. Instead, it should be scrutinized. We should take our experiences, and measure them in light of the cross of Christ. While I will not even pretend to understand why each of us experiences the particular trial we are facing, I will take my trial and look at it through the eyes of grace, or the shadow of the cross. At the place where Jesus laid down the riches of His glory, in order to pave a way for me to come to God.

His grace is not only measured at the cross, but can also be experienced daily by the believer. Paul wrote, “for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ…” This grace was something they were experiencing; because He became poor, they were becoming rich. Now, it is important we understand the language that Paul is using. He is not stating that following Jesus is the path to financial success or great earthly wealth. This is not a get rich quick scheme where, if you follow Jesus and are a faithful tither, you will end up the richest guy on the block. Paul is referring to the wealth of spiritual blessings that belong to the child of God. Earlier in the chapter, he spoke of the Macedonians who, though they were very poor, they were big givers and filled with great joy. As you daily walk with Jesus, you will experience the abundance of His grace flowing out to minister to you, regardless of the difficulty you are facing. If you are questioning His grace, go back to the cross and measure it. Reflect on how God gave His Son.

Pastor Jim

 

Mr. Fix It

pjimgallagher2 Comments

Job 34:16
“If you have understanding, hear this; listen to the sound of my words.”

Elihu was a young man considering the discussion between Job and his three friends. He listened meticulously to the arguments, and seemed to accurately sum up the problem. Job, while not the man his friends were painting him to be, was guilty of charging God with iniquity. Elihu points out, God is not guilty of unrighteousness for the way He treats man. God’s goal is to awaken men to their need of a Savior. If a temporal affliction will awaken us to our eternal needs, God is certainly justified in His actions. Much of what Elihu shares is both Biblical and true, the problem is, it lacks any semblance of compassion.

Ephesians 4:15 “. . .but, speaking the truth in love. . . ”

Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”

It is common to be judgmental over another’s failures, then to elevate ourselves above them. When this happens, we tend to lose compassion. This is particularly true when someone struggles with a sin that doesn’t trouble us, or which we have had victory over. Looking down on others causes us to be unsympathetic. The first words a wounded soldier hears should not be an accounting of what he did wrong, but rather, you are there to help him up. Once his wounds are attended to, we can instruct him on the way to avoid getting shot again. Paul gives us direction on how to minister to those who are struggling,

Galatians 6:1 “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.”

Step one: be spiritual. If we are going to offer any aid to others, we must be sure we are abiding in Christ. In Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, the best thing Christian did for his family was to go hard after the Lord.

Step two: we need to recognize the need in others. This requires that we keep our eyes open, come along side the wounded Christian, and help get him back on track.

Step three: we need to be compassionate. Paul uses the word gentle. We need to be gentle with things that are fragile. When Christians have stumbled, they are delicate. It is possible they may return to effectively walking with the Lord. We want to do all we can to help them get up, and keep on going.

Step four: consider yourself. There are some areas of sin to which we are personally prone. We cannot allow ourselves to be drawn down that path. If going after another will put you in a situation which guarantees personal failure, you need to protect yourself. Perhaps a good solution is to follow the pattern of Jesus, who sent His disciples out in pairs. Before going after the fallen, grab a Christian friend, pray, and head out in gentleness.

Pastor Jim