Title:- Night Swimming
Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you."
Skinny Dipping with God
Let us this coming year be rid of the loneliness that acting brings! Please God this year that we might be loved for who we are and not for whom others think we should be. Indeed, let us begin to love other people for who they are as intrinsically valuable in themselves and in themselves alone. Let us honour one another and ourselves this coming year. Let us obey the truth. Hmmm…Love, honour and obey. What familiar sounding words! Tell you what, let me better put it this way; why not let us finally get married to Jesus this coming year?Now, regarding the marriage ceremony, I wish I could open the Bible and say, “repeat these words after me” but the problem is that there appears to be no instruction in the Bible for words to be said or practices to be followed concerning a wedding ceremony. This fact takes on an air of some mystery when you begin to see that a wedding is both the beginning and the end of God’s revealed purpose in both space and time! The Bible’s presentation of this fact is akin to having identical bookends that frame a collection of stories in 66 separate books, all possessing the same embracing theme. Indeed, this consistent Scriptural theme of marriage is set in the whole Bible like apples of gold in settings of silver… just beautiful.
In Genesis, Adam the first man is brought a bride, formed from himself, for himself. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus the last Adam is brought by God the Holy Spirit, a bride formed from Himself, for Himself. In this final book of the Bible we also find that the big, even the everlasting 'Parteh' of heaven, is called the 'Marriage Supper of the Lamb!' yes, in the Bible, the Start, the Middle and End of the Revelation of God revolves around a wedding. Imagine that! No, you cannot ignore it friends; marriage presented to us in the Scriptures, is seminal and climactic, pregnant with picture and instruction. (Oh and don't worry about the sexual terminology, it's all God's.) This marital and faithful intimacy, this unique oneness, this ultimate closeness, this naked and ecstatic knowingness that marriage should bring to us, are all that God intends for each one of us to have with Him in this coming year. So this year, why not unfurl that great sail of destiny and discovery, which has been flapping disconcertingly in the knowing depths of your heart, moved by the growing wind of the latter days now gone by and begin to push out and embark most thoroughly, upon your very own, great marital adventure with God. Even setting out into the depths of God's great love for you. After all, “One day,” He says, “You shall call me 'my husband'.”
Until that great and heavenly communal marriage party begins for the whole church, let us personally get naked with God and go night swimming in all His moonlight fair. What does this mean? Well, this year friends, yes this very year, it means to be real, to be honest with yourself and to be honourable with God, by aspiring to be only yourself with Him and with His people. In this way, let’s all finally get married to God!
Listen: - Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters, They see the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep. Psalm 107:23-24
Pray: -Jesus, this whole year, as we aspire to be who You created us to be, please fill our hearts with faith and all our hopeful nets with joyous, naked wonder, In Jesus name I ask it, amen.
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REM Night Swimming:-
Night swimming deserves a quiet night
The photograph on the dashboard, taken years ago,
Turned around backwards so the windshield shows
Every streetlight reveals the picture in reverse
Still, it's so much clearer
I forgot my shirt at the water's edge
The moon is low tonight
Night swimming deserves a quiet night
I'm not sure all these people understand
It's not like years ago,
The fear of getting caught,
Of recklessness and water
They cannot see me naked
These things, they go away,
Replaced by everyday
Night swimming, remembering that night
September's coming soon
I'm pining for the moon
And what if there were two
Side by side in orbit
Around the fairest sun?
That bright, tight forever drum
Could not describe nightswimming
You, I thought I knew you
You, I cannot judge
You, I thought you knew me,
This one laughing quietly underneath my breath
Nightswimming
The photograph reflects,
Every streetlight a reminder
Nightswimming deserves a quiet night, deserves a quiet night
Hos 2:13-23
13 I will punish her For the days of the Baals to which she burned incense. She decked herself with her earrings and jewelry, And went after her lovers; But Me she forgot," says the LORD.14 God's Mercy on His People
'Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her.15 I will give her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; She shall sing there,As in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.16 "And it shall be, in that day, "Says the LORD, "That you will call Me 'My Husband ,'And no longer call Me 'My Master,'17 For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, And they shall be remembered by their name no more.18 In that day I will make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, With the birds of the air, And with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth,To make them lie down safely.19 "I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy;20 I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,And you shall know the LORD.21 "It shall come to pass in that day That I will answer," says the LORD;"I will answer the heavens, And they shall answer the earth.22 The earth shall answer With grain, With new wine, And with oil; They shall answer Jezreel.23 Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; Then I will say to those who were not My people,' You are My people!' And they shall say, 'You are my God!'" NKJV
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