The Lord knew we’d mess things up. That’s why He had a plan from The Beginning. He knew that, left to ourselves – that is, in our flesh – we’d become self-focused. Try to manipulate and control life – and other people – to meet our own needs.
Yet your current needs are normal and healthy.
Because The Lord Himself gave you those needs. And He wants to fulfill them. In fact, He gave His Son so that your needs could be fully met through Him.
His plan for your life is mystical, to be sure. You’re not of this world.
And it can seem magical at times. But God doesn’t do magic.
He’s very practical and loves the everyday details.
The most important example is a man’s need for companionship. (Genesis 2:18)
- From a fleshly perspective, a man may use a woman to meet his own needs. And take from her what he wants without regard for who God created her to become as someone created in His likeness.
- However, a man who is walking in right relationship with God needs a woman to whom he can give all the love he receives from The Lord. That is …
- A man needs someone to adore.
- A Special Someone to love outside himself.
- Loving her keeps him from sinking into perpetual sadness.
… and/or from becoming a domineering jerk.
The Love a man receives through his relationship with Christ is mystical. He is in Christ, and Christ is in him. That’s God with us, to be sure!
And as a man initiates and demonstrates that Love in his “real-life” relationship with his bride, it becomes the best, most practical display of Jesus‘ Love for His Bride.
Furthermore, woman’s response to her man’s Love
is just as important as her response to Christ.
To be continued …
All this took place to fulfill what The Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call him Immanuel” which means “God with us.” (Matthew 1:22-23)