Even the sweetest of relationships can occasionally grow stale. But we eagerly invest in that which we cherish. So today I'd like to offer you a few tips - that I've tried, tested and found to be worthwhile - for bringing renewed passion and delight to your most important relationship.
First of all, I suggest you meet the lover of your soul consistently where He can always be found: in His Word.
Oops. Did you think we were talking about your marriage?
Hmm. I guess I should have explained earlier. The tips I'm offering you today are for building renewed intimacy and passion...with Jesus, the true lover of your soul, your all-in-all, the love of your life and your soulmate. Surprised?
Friend, it is wise and necessary to do our part in keeping our relationship with Jesus fresh. He certainly does His.
- He beckons us to join Him each day with a beautiful sunrise and wishes us sweet dreams with a glorious setting of the same sun.
- He sprinkles our days with laughter in our ears and swellings in our hearts and chill bumps on our arms and lumps in our throats and tears of joy in the brims of our eyes.
- He collects our tears in His bottle and leans in to hear our muffled moans.
- He draws us with chords of lovingkindness and carries our burdens so we don't have to.
- He smiles upon us and cheers us on and waits patiently for us when we are distracted.
The lover of your soul does His part. But the wise woman knows that as she practically and intentionally invests her time and energy in her Lover, her affection for Him will grow and multiply and intensify.
The Bible says that if we seek God with all our heart He will be found and known. It also says that only those who seek Him passionately will be allowed into the secret or private and personal chambers of relationship with Him. We can all know the Lord; but intimacy is reserved for the one who seeks it passionately and with priority.
So here are a few suggestions for doing just that.
- Take a weekly walk in which you talk out loud to the Lord as you go, expressing to Him your thoughts, ideas, dreams and disappointments.
- Begin a journal in which you communicate with the Lord intimately. Yours could be a prayer journal, a collection of poems, essays from the heart or other simple expressions of your love for Him.
- Begin a private Pinterest board just for Jesus. Simply set up a new board in your Pinterest account, designate it as "private," label it "Jesus" or "Me and Jesus" or whatever you wish, and begin collecting words, quotes, pictures, articles, etc. that you would like to share with Him alone.
- Sit alone with Him. If we're not careful we may discover that our relationship with Jesus has become a corporate one. In other words, we've spent time with Jesus only in our church worship services, in our group Bible study or at our women's retreat, but we've failed to spend quiet, private time with Him. Make sure you pull aside with the Lover of your soul to build intimacy.
- Build a playlist of songs for your computer, your phone or your iPod that consists purely of songs of praise and adoration. No "third person" songs here; just songs that directly proclaim your love and appreciation to the One who died for you.
- Memorize a passage of scripture that speaks of His love for you. Mull it over. Meditate on it. And when it becomes "yours" have it created into a piece of art and hung on your wall.
Can you think of additional ways to build and nurture intimacy in your relationship with Jesus? I'd
love to hear them.
Labels: daily quiet time, God's love, Hearing from God, Just Me and Thee
