Tag: NEEDTOBREATHE

Intimacy with Christ

My beloved is mine, and I am his;
he grazes among the lilies. (Song 2:16 ESV)

I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;
he grazes among the lilies. (Song 6:3 ESV)

I am my beloved’s,
and his desire is for me. (Song 7:10 ESV)

Song of Solomon was written by King Solomon.  It is a love poem.  So, why is it included in the scriptures?  This book, like the other 65, was inspired by the Holy Spirit.  Timothy says they were “God-breathed” and therefore, useful for teaching. (See 2 Tim. 3:16).  So, what is this trying to teach us?  It is a love story between a King and His true love.  However, that king is not Solomon, but Jesus.  The true love is not a Shulammite woman, but all of mankind.

The scriptures above are uttered by the object of the King’s affection.  We are the object of Christ’s affection, so we say I am His and He is mine.

Song of Solomon illustrates that when you are in love with someone, your thoughts are consumed by them and you want to spend time with them.  This is true of your relationship with the Lord.  There should be a level of intimacy between you and Jesus.  It should be your goal to dive deeper into intimacy every single day.  The only way that is possible is when your every though is consumed by Jesus, and you spend time with Him.  When you do not have intimacy, you are not in love with Him.  You may love Him, but being in love requires intimacy.

Having an intimate relationship with the savior does not preclude you from taking a misstep, or even having a failure in your Christian walk.

Jesus had the 12 disciples.  Within that group was the close circle He kept around Him:  Peter, James, and John.  These three each experienced intimacy with Christ.  However, Peter struggled in His walk.

Why would someone involved in an intimate relationship with Christ have all these failings?  It is because he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked to himself.

When Jesus invited Peter to walk on the water, Matthew tells us that he walked on the water to Jesus.  However, when he saw the effects of the storm, he became afraid.  Why?  Because he began to rely on his own abilities (which did not include walking on water) instead of relying on Jesus.

The band NEEDTOBREATHE has a song called I am Yours that takes these scriptures from Song of Solomon and applies them to our lives as Christians.  At the same time, they take into account the failings that Christians are prone to because we take our eyes off Jesus.  The second verse of the song says:

Sometimes I’m walking on a ledge
And I am afraid to just look down
It’s like I think I’m in control
I’m giving gravity to doubt
But you love me where I am
Enough for you to not look back
And it’s the only kind of love
That I have ever felt like that

As a Christian with an intimate walk with Christ, you will find yourself in situations where you are tempted to take your eyes off Jesus and rely on your own strength.  It happened multiple times to Peter, yet everyone believes that St. Peter will meet them at the pearly gates!  At times when you lose your footing in your walk with Christ, He lifts you back up.  He will never disown you.

The goal for all of us is to have a deeper, more intimate walk with the Lord.  As you grow in intimacy, it becomes easier to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.

Click below to watch the video:

Sometimes I’m under starlit sky
But I’m feeling more like dirt
How do I forget so fast
Who you are, and what that’s worth
‘Cause there’s an evidence of you
In every corner of this life
So why do I still try to prove
That I don’t deserve your time

‘Cause I am yours
And you will always be mine
It seems like madness, I’m invited
To the table by your side
‘Cause I am yours
And you will always be mine
I’m a man whose one ambition
Is to dance with my divine
‘Cause I am yours
And you are, you are, you are
You are mine

Sometimes I’m walking on a ledge
And I am afraid to just look down
It’s like I think I’m in control
I’m giving gravity to doubt
But you love me where I am
Enough for you to not look back
And it’s the only kind of love
That I have ever felt like that

‘Cause I am yours
And you will always be mine
It seems like madness, I’m invited
To the table by your side
‘Cause I am yours
And you will always be mine
I’m a man whose one ambition
Is to dance with my divine
‘Cause I am yours
And you are, you are, you are
You are mine

We say no, don’t let the rain come
‘Cause we got our reservations
But the water that we need
Is bound to overtake us
If I had to write a story
Of the greatest love in time
I would have to sing of you
How I’m this branch and you’re the vine
And the romance that we have, oh, it’s easy by design
I was fortunate to find you, I’m still blown away you’re mine

‘Cause I am yours
And you will always be mine
It seems like madness, I’m invited
To the table by your side
‘Cause I am yours
And you will always be mine
I’m a man whose one ambition
Is to dance with my divine
‘Cause I am yours
And you are, you are, you are
You are mine