Friends, there is nothing exclusively feminine about loving with passion.
When we are called the Bride (betrothed) it is no more feminine than it is masculine when God calls us ‘sons’. He is describing the nature of our relationship with Him: the security and authority of sonship and the intimacy and passion of being His Bride.
So guys, forget the ‘macho’ thing and realise that loving passionately and with abandon is just as male as conquering a city by conquest. Just ask the Psalmist, David! He loved life as both warrior and worshipper; strong in authority and passionate in his love for God.
David was a flawed man yet the only one that would be known as “a man after God’s own heart”. Why? Because He had discovered God’s mercy, His kindness, His compassion, His acceptance, His grace, His extravagant Father’s love. And that discovery motivated Him every day to love such a God with all His heart and to live life to honour Him. David was passionate in his love for God!
The more we discover the nature of Our Father as it really is, the more we respond in like kind. As we see His warmth for us, we feel an increase in our warmth towards Him. Paul said that “as we behold Him, we are transformed into His image.
The same goes for the Lord Jesus Christ, our King and the Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Friend. The more we see them as they really are, the more our response to them takes on the attributes that they themselves possess.
Our authority is gained by seeing the authority of the Lord Jesus; our empowerment is gained by seeing the power of the Holy Spirit. Our affectionate, caring instincts towards those we parent are gained by seeing such in Our Father’s heart.
Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Word to you concerning the nature of God’s heart and how He actually feels about you. It is a voyage of discovery that has milestones of joy and gratitude as you realise more and more the depth of His acceptance, commitment and love for you as His child.
