July 6, 2009
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from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet...
To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
–Revelation 2:1-5
One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner. 40 And Jesus answering said to him, Simon, I have something to say to you. And he answered, Say it, Teacher. 41 A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more? 43 Simon answered, The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt. And he said to him, You have judged rightly. 44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little. 48 And he said to her, Your sins are forgiven. 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, Who is this, who even forgives sins? 50 And he said to the woman, Your faith has saved you; go in peace.
–Luke 7:36-50You shall have no other gods before me. 4 You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God...
–Exodus 20:3-5
Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? 37 And he said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment.
–Matthew 22:36-38from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet...
Have we not ceased to kiss Your feet?We confess our love for You is like the morning dew.
Yet Your love is steadfast toward us.
You are a jealous God. We are to have no other gods but You. You are to be our first Love. We are to love You with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind.
How do we love You?
from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet...
yet how often we do we leave You, our first Love, for other things!
from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet...yet how often do we leave You, priceless Treasure, for fleeting earthly treasure!from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet...
yet how often do we leave You, our Pearl of great price, for worthless trinkets!from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet...
yet how often do we leave You, our devoted Husband, to lust after gods!from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet...
Yet how often do we leave You, the Lover of our souls, for fleshly lovers!from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet...
yet how often do we leave You, the Fountain of Life, for broken cisterns!from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet...
yet how often do we leave You, the Bread of Life, for maggoty bread!from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet...
yet how often do we leave You, the Fountain of Life, for broken cisterns!from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet...
yet how often do we leave You, our Rock, to build on shifting sand!from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet...
yet how often do we leave You, our loving Master, to be bound to Satan!from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet...
yet how often do we leave You, our Yokefellow, to be unequally yoked to idols!from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet...
yet how often do we leave You, our good Shepherd, for hirelings!from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet...
From the time You came in to our hearts by faith, have we not ceased to kiss Your feet? O Lover of our souls, we confess how often we fail to love You. Yet You deserve all our love all the time. Forgive us for Jesus' sake. Cleanse us from our sin of not loving You as we ought. Cover us now with His blood. How our love goes in stops and starts. Your love is so unlike that. How wretched we are that we would consider loving any other, yet we do. Forgive us for Jesus' sake. Cover us now with His blood. Cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
By Your indwelling Holy Spirit, empower us to love You as we ought. Help us to put aside all other loves. Help us to cast off the sin that keeps us from loving You as we ought. Help us to cast of the idols that keep us from loving You as we ought. Show us these things. They can even be good things but we cannot allow any thing or any person to hinder our love for You. You must be our first Love. We are to have no other loves but You. When we put other things and people before You, we are making them gods. We cannot love You with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and all our strength when we continue to entertain idols and other loves. Apart from You, it is impossible for us to tear down those idols and forsake other loves. Strengthen us to to tear down our idols and forsake our other loves. Help us to continue to guard our hearts and minds so we might love You alone.
You alone are our true Love. O, Lover of our souls. O Lover of our souls, may we never cease to kiss Your feet, may we continue to love and adore You and to have no other gods before You. That is the kind of love You have for us. You have never ceased to love us. You loved us while we were yet sinners. Your love flows to us through the unceasing flow of Jesus precious blood at the throne of God. Your love flows into us through the unceasing flow of Jesus' Spirit into our souls. Your love flows to us in continuous intercession at the right hand of the Father. You cannot conceive of not loving us for even a moment. How great and high Your love is for us! You have never ceased to love us! Might we never cease to love You! Might we never cease to kiss Your feet! O God, we can only consider loving You because You first loved us. Continue to fill us with Your perfect love, so we might cling and cleave to You alone, that we might desire You alone above all other gods. You alone are our God. You alone are the Lover of our souls. You alone loved us while no one else loved us. May we not leave You, our first Love. Keep us and guard us from lusting after any other loves. Teach us to love You as we ought. Protect and grow the Church's love for You, our wonderful Bridegroom. We love You, O God. Grow in us the love this sinful woman had for you for that is the kind of love You seek from us.
from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet...
Prayerfully come before your first Love and and ask Him to show you how you have left Him for other loves. Confess to Him and ask for His forgiveness and His power to work in you to love Him wholeheartedly.
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Comments (2)
O great God of manifold mercies and amazing grace,
I thank and praise You for Your kindness which leads us to repentance. I thank and praise You for Your love which constrains us so we cannot continue to be constrained by our sin.
Thank You, thank You, thank You for how You showed me my sin of idolatry, how I was putting someone else before You. No earthly relationship, however good, can never interfere with my love for You. Thank You for strengthening me to put off this idol. Help me to guard my heart and to see all Your gifts to me, both physical possessions and human relationships as just that, gifts from Your hand, never to be worshiped, never to be idolized, never to be sought after, never to be made god. You alone are to be my first Love. You alone are God. You alone are worthy. You alone are to be worshiped. I am to have no other gods before You.
I praise You that You love me so much that You continue to run after me even as I run from You. You draw me back to You with Your cords of love. Bind me to Your altar by Your love, so I would more and more love You, to never cease to love You, for that is how You love me: unceasingly. Fill me up with all Your fullness so I might love and adore You with unceasing love and adoration, to continue to kiss Your feet forever and ever.
How great Your love for me that sees all my sin and sees how I have forsaken You and coveted and sought after other gods yet You continue to love me with an everlasting and steadfast love that is not limited by my unbelief or my lack of love.
The bones You have broken are truly rejoicing right now. You are making me know Your joy and gladness.
Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.
O how Blessed am I today, O Lord, because Jesus' blood has covered and cleansed me from all my sin!
I love You, Father.
I love You, Jesus.
I love You, Holy Spirit.
Thank You for loving me!
Amen.
Lord, I thank you for the example of the woman who kissed your feet in appreciation and love. May her example move across the hearts of your true church this week. May my love for Jesus grown. I am so grateful for your mercy. Thank you.
amen
FRANK
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