Fervency

"...for your love is better than wine....Draw me away with you! We will run after you. The king has brought me into his chambers. We will rejoice and delight in you; we will remember your love more than wine. how right they are to adore you!" Song of Songs

Here are some brief outline highlights from a study on the Song of Songs, which is often seen in 3 interpretations-
1. The historical story of Solomon and his bride,
2.The natural depicting a human love story, a marriage relationship and natural intimacy
3.The allegorical- God as bridegroom and Israel as bride or relationship of Jesus as bridegroom and and corporate Bride of Christ/the church or Jesus and an individual's spiritual development to maturity

The Bride's Fervency:

I. The source of her fervency: the knowledge of God

• "Affection based" obedience- experiencing "love that is better than wine."
• "Revelation based" desire for God- revelation knowledge of the splendor of who He is and what He did (i.e. the cross). Phil. 3:8 principle: Love overflows out of the knowledge of His excellence

II. The expression of her fervency: her two-fold life vision

• "Draw me away/after you"- Cry for deep intimacy with God. (matt. 22:37) becoming a worshipper of God
• "We will run after You"- Cry for partnership in ministry with Jesus and for community with people (mt.22:40) becoming a servant of people
• The two Great Commandments and the Great Commission
• A proper life vision contains both aspects- a worshipper (draw me)and a deliverer (we will run).

We love because He first loved us. We enjoy Him because He first enjoyed us. (john 4:19)

"It is the definition of success. It is the definition of purpose. In the "absolute sense" we succeed, no matter what else happens if we are lovers of God. It is our inheritance to be lovers of God, He simply made us that way."........

"If you have nothing to die for, you have nothing to live for. This is simply how God made the human heart. So much of the human race is dying of boredom right now. So much of the Body of Christ is dying of boredom right now. Because they do not understand we were created to love passionately. It is not just that we should love passionately, we have to in order to function right."

We come to rest in 2 places:

1. Through the finished work of the cross we can rest in forgiveness.

2. There is a rest of intimacy. Augustine (354-430 AD) said, "Man does not rest until he finds his rest in God." There is no rest until we decide the highest purpose of our life in intimacy with God.