Category: Song of Songs–BibleTrekToday
Beloved by the Lord
Scripture reading for June 23rd: Song of Songs 7-8, Psalm 127, 2nd Thessalonians 2
2nd Thessalonians 2:13-15 “But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this He called you through our Gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.”
Paul’s letter to them was meant to encourage them in their patient love and faith in the midst of trials and persecution. Paul expressed thanks for them and called them “beloved by the Lord” and “chosen” by God for salvation. He reminded them of the Holy Spirit they had received when they believed the truth of God’s Word of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They were called by God and given this gift of the Holy Spirit so that they might obtain the glory of Jesus Christ in a full salvation on His return. Paul closed this passage with a prayer for them as more encouragement from a spiritual leader who loved them too.
2nd Thessalonians 2:16-17 “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, Who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.”
Prayer: Father God, Thank You for Your great love for us whom You have called and lavished on us the the Holy Spirit. Echoing the prayer of Paul, give us eternal comfort and good hope through continued grace. Lead us by the Spirit to the good works that You planned for us and fill our hearts and mouths with Your Word in season for each person you place in our path. We look for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Song of Songs 8:6 “Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord.”
Considered worthy of the Kingdom of God
Scripture reading for June 22nd: Song of Songs 4-6, 2nd Thessalonians 1
2nd Thessalonians 1: 3-8 “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering, since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus.”
The Thessalonian believers were undergoing trials and persecution because of their faith and love of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote to encourage them that their testimony of love and faithfulness under trial had reached him and God was pleased. Their patient endurance under persecution was ‘evidence’ that their faith was genuine and that they were ‘worthy’ of God’s gift of salvation. They must continue in faith and love until Christ’s promised return. Christ would punish those afflicting the believers at that time. In the meantime, they must keep preaching the Gospel in hope that even those who persecuted them would experience salvation and eternal life instead of God’s vengeance and ‘eternal destruction’.
2nd Thessalonians 1:9-10 “They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might, when He comes on that day to be glorified in His saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.”
Prayer: Father God, I know that the only way I am considered ‘worthy’ of Your kingdom is by faith in Jesus Christ. Thank You for the gift of salvation and the promise of Jesus’ return for His Bride, the church! Empower me to increase in love and faith as I share the Good News of a loving Savior Who died for sinners and rose again to live eternally. Let none I share with suffer eternal destruction under Your wrath!
Song of Songs 5:9-10 “What is your Beloved more that another beloved/ O most beautiful among women? What is your Beloved more that another beloved, that you thus adjure us?” “My Beloved is radiant and ruddy, distinguished among ten thousand.”
Living as children of Light!
Scripture reading for June 21st: Song of Solomon 1-3, Psalm 72, 1st Thessalonians 5
1st Thessalonians 5: 5-10 “For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live for Him.”
Paul loved to use contrasts to encourage believers and instruct them in righteous living and motivate them to persevere in the faith. In this passage, light and darkness, day and night are contrasts of the righteous and how they live as opposed to the wicked and their life-style. Those living in the light and day are awake and sober. They are full of faith and love and have the vision of hope of the return of Jesus Christ and the full salvation He promises. Those living in darkness are asleep spiritually and cover their darkness in drunkenness. They have no hope of salvation or a vision of the light of Christ. Those living in light know that they are not destined for wrath and eternal separation from God so they live for Christ!
Psalm 72:18-19 “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, Who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be His glorious Name forever; may the whole earth be filled with His glory! Amen and amen!”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for the Light of Life, Jesus Christ! I am a child of the light and live in anticipation of seeing Jesus Christ on His return to earth for His people. Thank You for the Holy Spirit Who lives in me to empower me to live by faith and to love God and share His love with the nations through preaching the Gospel and giving to missions. Blessed by Your glorious Name forever and ever!
Song of Songs 2:4 “He brought me to his banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.”
Stay awake!
Scripture reading for February 3rd: Mark 13
Key Scriptures: Mark 13: 32-37 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake–for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake!”“
Sleep is necessary for our bodies but Jesus was not talking about physical sleep. He was calling His disciples and followers throughout the ages to recognize the spiritual warfare of the end times and the fact that only the Father knows when the last day and hour before the final judgment is. God has given His servants work to do in His absence. Each believer is assigned gifts and talents and responsibilities. Those who are watchmen must stay awake spiritually because the Church will not be caught unaware. No matter when Jesus returns, His Bride will be ready. Jesus reminded the disciples and all: “Stay awake!”
Song of Songs 5:2 “I slept, but my heart was awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking. “Open to me, . . .”
Faith confession and prayer: Lord, I may sleep naturally, but my heart is awakened to You knocking! I don’t know the day or the hour, but I know You are coming for Your Bride! May I be watchful and help others to be ready.
Revelation 16:15 Jesus: “(Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”)
Sealed by the Holy Spirit
Scripture reading for June 23rd: Song of Songs 7-8, Psalm 127, 2nd Thessalonians 2
Key Scriptures: 2nd Thessalonians 2:13-17 “But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Holy Spirit and belief in the truth. To this He called you through our Gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.”
Paul warned the Thessalonians concerning the coming deception of the lawless one, the antichrist, who would deceive those who refused to love the truth. But he gave thanks for the believers and encouraged them to stand firm through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would set them apart for God and reveal truth to their hearts. Through the Holy Spirit, God the Father would comfort the believers and give them hope through further revelations of the grace that is ours through faith in Christ. God would establish them in every good work and word, protecting them from deception!
Song of Songs 8:6 “Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord.”
Faith confession and prayer: Father God, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit, sealing me for the day of full redemption, giving me comfort and good hope. Fill me afresh with the flame of Your love and protect me from deception.
The Holy Spirit brings out the “spices”!
Scripture reading for June 22nd: Song of Songs 4-6, 2nd Thessalonians 2
Key Scriptures: 2nd Thessalonians 1:2-5 “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering–. . ”
Paul was writing a second letter to the church at Thessolonica. He sent greetings of grace and peace from “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” He thanked God for their growing faith and increasing love for each other. They were remaining steadfast and growing in the face of persecution and affliction. Even as the winds of adversity blew upon them, their faith and perseverance was evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work to prepare them for God’s eternal kingdom! The spices of their hearts brought a pleasant fragrance before God.
Faith confession and prayer: Father God, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit living in me. I am trusting You today for grace and peace and to allow fragrant spices to flow from my heart. Help me to be steadfast in life’s daily afflictions and the persecutions of the last days. May Your kingdom come and Your will be done!
Song of Songs 4:16 “Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind! Blow upon my garden, let its spices flow.”
Saved for Christ!
Scripture reading for June 19th: Song of Solomon 1-3, Psalm 72, 1st Thessalonians 5
Key Scriptures: 1st Thessalonians 5:8-11 “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation, for God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with Him. therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to live in the light as children of the light. Christ will come again soon. Whether awake (alive) or asleep (body resting in the grave) we live with Him and for Him. God has not destined His people for wrath but for salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We should encourage each other to continue in faith as we wait for Christ’s return.
Song of Songs 2:4 “He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love.”
Faith confession and prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the light of Your Word and Your love shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and encouragement for others. I long to be with You.
Psalm 72:19 “Blessed be His glorious Name forever; may the whole earth be filled with His glory! Amen and Amen!”
Talking to Jesus!
Scripture reading for September 25th: Song of Songs 7-8, Isaiah 1-2, 1st Timothy 2
Key Scriptures: 1st Timothy 2:1-4 “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Paul encouraged Timothy to teach the church to pray. Prayer for those in authority was to be foundational to the church being able to function under the world and government structures and fulfill the mission of God–preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all men that all might be saved and know Christ. The church must pray first of all and obey His voice.
Song of Songs 8:13 “O you who dwell in the gardens, with companions listening for your voice; let Me hear it.”
Prayer: Lord, I pray today for our government leaders, church leaders and all in authority in home, work and government. Let them rule under Your authority and may the Gospel go forth to all people. Amen.
King of the Ages!
Scripture reading for September 24th: Song of Songs 4-6, 1st Timothy 1
Key Scriptures: 1st Timothy 1:15-17 “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Paul stated the mission of our Lord Jesus simply: Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Paul was a murderer and blasphemer of Christ before his encounter with Jesus. Because of Christ’s perfect patience, Paul was saved and became a follower and worshiper of Christ, praising the “King of the ages.”
Song of Songs 5:2, 10 “I slept, but my heart was awake. A sound! My Beloved is knocking.” . . . “My Beloved is radiant and ruddy, distinguished among ten thousand.”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, King of the ages, thank You for Your perfect patience with me, a sinner. I want to follow You and worship You forever. Amen.
Continue in good works
Scripture reading for September 21st: Ecclesiastes 12, Song of Songs 1-3, 2nd Thessalonians 3
Key Scriptures: 2nd Thessalonians 3:10-13 “For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.”
Some in the church were idle and living off the work of others. Paul warned them not to be idle, but to be steady in good works and earn their own way. Idleness leads to gossip and meddling and strife. This is not proper in God’s family.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of men. For God will bring every deed into judgment with every secret thing, whether good or bad.”
Prayer: Lord, thank You for calling Your people to good works and earning a living. Keep me mindful that I will have to answer to You for my conduct on earth. Amen.