Ishi
Five areas of “guy problems” that many girls struggle with:
·
I have a crush
·
I think a guy likes me and I kinda like
him
·
I talk about guys with my friends all
the time
·
I think a guy likes me, but he’s just
really NOT my thing
·
My best friend is a guy
Zoo illustration
In a zoo, there are cages around
all the animals. You can’t get at the
animals. Now, I suppose you could go
around, pressing your face against all the cages, but that would be really
dumb. You could complain that the fences
are trapping you away from the animals, but in reality, the fences are there to
protect you. The animals are the ones
trapped, not you. It is usually a good
idea to keep away from the cages, because inside the cages are dangerous
animals.
In the same way, the “guidelines” or rules in Christianity are not to trap you but to keep you safe. You are free to go anywhere…except where the danger is.
In the same way, the “guidelines” or rules in Christianity are not to trap you but to keep you safe. You are free to go anywhere…except where the danger is.
Triangle illustration
As in the triangle, the best way
for a friendship (whether casual or romantic) to blossom is for both people to
draw near to God.
The states of being Solyma, the
bride of the King:
Virgin
·
Song
of Songs 4:2
·
2
Corinthians 11:2
·
Philippians
4:8
Yielded
·
Song
of Songs 2:15
·
1
Corinthians 6:19-20
 | |
| The description of Solyma in SoS, taken literally. :-) |
·
Mark
8:34-35
Sanctified (Set-Apart)
·
Song
of Songs 2:15
·
Deuteronomy
30:6
·
Isaiah
48:10
Pure of mouth
·
Song
of Songs 1:2
·
Isaiah
6:6-7
·
Psalm
141:3
Created for Him
·
Song
of Songs 4:13-14
·
Revelation
4:11
·
Isaiah
43:7
Bears His Name
·
Songs
of Songs 6:13
·
1
Peter 4:16
·
2
Corinthians 5:20
Follows Him
·
Song
of Songs 3:2
·
1
Peter 2:21
·
1
John 2:5-6
What her Groom does
He gives meaning
·
Ecclesiastes
2:24-25
·
Ephesians
2:10
·
Psalm
16:11
He maintains her
love
·
Song
of Songs 2:4
·
Psalm
34:18
·
Jeremiah
32:40
What Solyma does
Longs for His return
·
Song
of Songs 2:10-12
·
Revelation
22:20
Refuses to get
side-tracked
·
Proverbs
5:1-2
Ishi [my husband]
·
Hosea
2:16a, 19
Gomer and Hosea
God told Hosea to marry the
adulterous Gomer to show the Israelites how He treated them, even though they
chased after other gods. It is in this
context that He says, “In that day, you will call me ‘Ishi [my husband]’…”
Consecrate:
The
act or ceremony of separating from a common to a sacred use, or of devoting and
dedicating a person or thing to the service and worship of God, by certain
rites or solemnities. Consecration does
not make a person or thing really holy, but declares it to be sacred, that is,
devoted to God or to divine service; as the consecration of the priests among
the Israelites; the consecration of the vessels used in the temple; the
consecration of a bishop.
Focus on Jesus
One
final note that I didn’t get to last night…
Now, I know I didn’t talk about guys much at all this
evening. In fact, you could almost say
that my lesson was false advertising.
But I want you to look at things this way.
·
I have a crush
o
You have a crush. Okay…who’s your husband? Does thinking about your crush honor
Jesus? Keep your eyes focused on Jesus. It won’t be easy…trust me …but
Jesus is zealous for his own.
·
I think a guy likes me and I kinda like him
o
This is slightly more complicated. It’s like the crush…plus another exciting,
rather flattering element. Again,
though, focus on Jesus. Remember the
triangle illustration?
·
I talk about guys with my friends all the time
o
…do you think John would appreciate Sylvia
giggling about other guys all the time with her friends? Jesus is even more jealous. There are many other things to talk about
than guys, so watch yourself. Keep your
eyes focused.
·
I think a guy likes me, but he’s just really NOT
my thing
o
Keep your eyes on Jesus. Most guys who aren’t serious lose interest
when girls don’t encourage them. If that
fails, talk to your dad. If that fails,
you may be forced to actually talk to him and ask him to stop.
·
My best friend is a guy
o
…where’s your heart? Usually, if others can tell that you’re
focused on Jesus, the idea of you lying or being involved in an impure
friendship is hard for them to believe.
Focus on Jesus may not “get rid” of your
guy problems, but it will limit them. I
mean, if guys know that you love Jesus more than anything, they’ll think twice
about bothering you. Conversely, if you
are busy focusing on Jesus, a cute guy or a flattering tongue won’t appeal to
you. A heart devoted to Jesus will be
the biggest draw.
♦
Memory verse: Hebrews 12:2 ♦ Bonus:
Matthew 6:33
