Lessons from a bride
(Jesus speaking: taken from a message given to a young disciple: )
“Yes My wind is wild and untamed and you’ve experience a bit of My unexpected nature but now you must pick up your courage and use what you’ve learned to come ride with Me once again and not fear it. Don’t fear Me, don’t say I am too unpredictable to trust… Haha sweet one! I am the God of the universe! I am wild! And I am teaching you to love My wild nature and to love flying with it! Come let’s run, let’s ride, let’s fly! With the crazy, wild, unpredictable nature of your God.”
Embracing the Hard Side of Jesus
I very much could relate to the heart roller coaster, fire-and-ice experience. I’ve had very similar feelings through some of life’s trials over the past couple years. And I have to keep choosing if “the relationship is still on”. Will I keep going with this challenging person called Jesus Christ? But I seem to just need Him so much, that whatever He is like, however He reacts, whatever He tests me in, hard to manage or not, I just can’t go on without Him. And His warm and loving side always makes up for it. So I’ve chosen, and I keep choosing to “Embrace the hard side of Jesus”. It’s part of the package deal.
Here are a few thoughts I’ve had, verses I think about, and what has helped me to keep on going and not be “offended” in Him, but to keep exploring Him, and proving that I really do want Him forever, no matter what that will mean for me. The other alternative is in no way attractive.
His “good” is just too good to pass up. So I need to take the challenging and straightening sides of Him with it, and learn to love them too. Since He is not going to change, and all He does is for good, it’s me that needs to change and learn to be a bit tougher and braver, and have more faith. I need to learn to be thankful for the way He is, and to love and be glad for His “hard and strong” side.
Others had tests on this too. Here’s what Jeremiah said:
Jeremiah 20:7 O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived; thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.
In Isaiah, the Lord gives a clue that there would be times that His appearance would not be attractive—especially when on the cross:
Isaiah 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
A rock of offence He is called—and His disciples need His “testimony” and “law” to make it:
Isaiah 8:13 Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
Isaiah 8:14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Embracing the Hard Side of Jesus
For full PDF Bible study with commentary (Please download here)
“I’m a sensitive person, and I first read through the Bible, cover to cover, when I was 16-18 years old. There were some places, many, that were just a bit too tough meat for me.”
I loved this article (as well as many others on this site). I guess God can certainly come across at times like He has a serious edge. But I have always seen it as His way of setting His boundaries in place. The human dilemma (the natural mind) has always been one of entitlement. In our minds we are gods and God is our great “puppet” in the sky (hopefully not!).
Humans have had a long ( and I mean long) history of hurting, offending and devaluing God (if you can imagine such a thing!). Yet He keeps coming back! We forget all the time that we are nothing but dust under His feet, lucky to even have the breath of life in us, and, not to mention, the very preoccupation and obsession of God! But, this is turning out to be a love relationship with the Creator and He wants people who genuinely love Him, more than anything, including self!
After all, this is the Perfect and Holy King of the universe. We are coming into a love relationship with Him that will end up in Song of Songs, so to speak. Wow! . Not to mention that we are also being given the massive privilege of being able to participate in the Divine Nature. Let that sink in. Why shouldn’t the great King / Lover have expectations? We set boundaries in our relationships because we want to be loved, valued and respected! How much more does the Giver of Life deserve that.
Personally, I love the wild and jealous side of God too, even though it can be hard and painful at times. To me it’s like He’s saying: “You are Mine!” Act like it too! I’ve learned to embrace the pain because, like you mentioned in the article, His warm and loving side totally makes up for it. No one loves like He does!
I guess that’s my thots! Loved the article!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, they are meaningful and special. I especially like the part where you said we are coming into a love relationship with Him…the Song of Songs…beautiful, exciting and well worth passing through life’s lessons, trials and tests. Thanks again for sharing.