August 30, 2012
The Lure of Lesser Lovers
Sharon Jaynes
Today’s Truth
“Here I am!” Jesus says. “I stand at the door and knock” (Revelation 3:20 NIV).
Friend to Friend
If you know Jesus as Savior and Lord, then you are His. He is yours. So why does He continue to woo you, to romance you on a daily basis? Why does he continue to pursue your heart? (He does, you know.) Because our minds forget. Spiritual amnesia runs rampant as we wander off to the wooing of other lovers.
“Step right up!” the barkers of the world’s Big Tent call. “Come and see the greatest show on earth!” And even though we know in our heart we’re going to be disappointed, we enter the tent flaps, find our way to the seat marked on the ticket stub, and wait to be entertained and amazed with all the world has to offer. In the end, we are always disappointed. This was not the greatest show after all. And even though we don’t deserve it, God woos us yet again.
Sometimes I fear we are like Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. Throughout the entire story, Rhett Butler tried to win her heart, but Scarlett was smitten by the milquetoast Ashley Wilkes. Finally, as the story comes to a close, Rhett walks away in frustration. “I feel sorry for you, Scarlett,” he declares. “You are throwing away love with both hands and grabbing for that which will never love you.”
As I watched the movie, I kept thinking, doesn’t she see how much Rhett really loves her? He’d move heaven and earth to please her, if she would but let him. Why is she going after someone who would never make her truly happy?
And we are Scarlet, ignoring the only One who can make us truly happy and chasing after figments of our imagination…things that will never make us happy—milquetoast lovers who pale in the shadow of the Lover of our Soul. Of course, in the end, Scarlett realizes her love for Rhett, and runs home to tell him so. But it is too late.
As with most analogies, this one has a fatal flaw…Jesus will never throw up his hands and walk away. “Here I am!” Jesus says. “I stand at the door and knock” (Revelation 3:20).
Let’s Pray
Jesus, forgive me for being enticed by other lovers: people, possessions, religion, work, and the list goes on. I know You are the only One who loves me perfectly and completely. I open the door and welcome You. Thank You for continuing to pursue my heart every day.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
What are some other lovers that pursue your heart?
Has there ever, ever, ever been any other person or possession that totally satisfied your soul?
Let’s make a list of other lovers that pull at a woman’s heart. Leave a comment on my blog/devo pageand I’ll combine them all to make a list. (Just look for today’s post.)
More from the Girlfriends
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