Sat.’s Devo - God’s Garden

Read: Song of Solomon 5:1-8:14; 2 Corinthians 9:1-15; Psalm 51:1-19; Proverbs 22:24-25
Jesus gives us the benefits of dwelling in his garden. There is myrrh, spices, honey, wine and milk. He offers this to everyone. The beloved, us, get distracted and leave the garden only to awaken and know we will do anything to get back. That is where we find our lady today. She is in transition: still reeling from the last time she made herself vulnerable and got hurt. She has gotten all cleaned up and now her lover is asking her to come back out in the fray. When she realizes she does want to join him, it seems he has gone without her. She has to go in pursute his presence again.
Sure enough, she gets beat up again by the church or relatives or the world and goes to her friends for help. They don’t understand why she would go to this much agony over pursuing her lover, Jesus. She tries to put into words what Jesus is like. They decide they will look for him also and when they ask her where they can find him she says he is in his garden.
This praise she gave of him brought her into his presence and she sees how much he loves her. She is changed as she sees herself through his eyes. She is so changed that now her friends want to look at her in wonder. Jesus steps in and tells them that they are beautiful too.
The Shunamite agrees with Jesus and says, all the praises go to Jesus, not her. She is no longer ashamed to be seen in public with him. She wants to take him everywhere and proclaim her love for him to all. She wants to remain in his presence. Now her friends associate with her.
The friends want to bring their young sister to experience what the Shunamite and they have experienced. They want to know what will happen if she rejects Jesus (is a wall). The answer is that they will tell her truth. But, if she is a door (open to the gospel), the Holy Spirit will indwell her. The Shunnamite explains that she was stubborn yet she received Jesus so there is always hope.
She compares the world’s system to God’s. Solomon’s garden is all for his gain, where the garden of the kingdom of God is free with nothing held back.
Jesus tells those who are in his garden to speak up and he takes those who want his presence up to the mountain tops.
In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians he preps them for Titus visit. He had bragged about how generous and giving they were and now hoped that they would live up to his expectation. The truth is that it takes money to do ministry and it is a group effort that God will bless. It is an investment into the kingdom and it pays great dividends.
Lord, help us to grow in our pursuit of your presence and may we dwell with you in your garden.