I’m looking between the lines of His word, like I used to
read between the lines of Evan’s screened mail when he was overseas. Jesus did
not love a woman in a sexual sense, but he was
fully man. He knew how to love. How did
He show affection, I wonder, I read. I come to Matthew 14:14-20
“When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their
sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the
disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now
over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for
themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not
go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They
said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to
me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to
sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked
up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the
disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all
ate and were satisfied.”
Now the preface of this story is Jesus, a real, tired man,
looking for some solace, retreating. And then He saw their need. He had
compassion. He met the needs of their hearts
first, and then their bodies. He put their needs before His own.
Romance is passion—from the
word compassion. You need to have passion before you can have
compassion. Passion is what gets you up in the morning, puts your feet on the
ground. Passion fuels compassion.
Wikipedia says compassion is measured by passion.
We cannot
have a compassionate God without acknowledging that He is first a passionate
God. And He calls us to be like Him. Truly, He must have planned for
us, male or female, single or married, to live passionately, live with
affection, live out lives of romance.
He feeds the multitude again in chapter 15. “Then Jesus
called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been
with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am
unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”…. he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having
given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples
gave them to the crowds. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken
pieces left over.
Jesus knew that without food we are faint, so He feeds us as
the most tangible way to reach our hearts. We feast at His table and He fills
our souls. God feeds us in desolate places because He wants to satisfy. His
passion is over the top—there is more than enough. His feasts requires to-go
boxes; there are always leftovers.
Song of Solomon 2:4-5 “You led me to your banquet room, and showered
me with love.
Refresh and strengthen me with raisins and apples, I am hungry for love!”
God created us with physical needs: hunger and love. We cannot
ignore either need. Nor can we excuse ourselves from it, “I’m just not that
type of person.” We-All-Hunger. We all need food. Jesus demonstrates feeding-- how
to love, but it doesn’t end there. Romance is
for feasting. For satisfying.
He lived it, so that we can too. He wants us to fill one another, to set the table
with compassion for one another, fueling the tapered candles with passion. Aprons
anyone? My feet drag a little on the way to the kitchen because I’ve flopped
recipes, mistaken ground turkey with breakfast sausage in our hamburgers. I’ve
done Easter eggs that “spilled” and forgotten side dishes in the oven until
they were black. Oh, and my cakes usually have to be glued together with frosting. Can I do this Lord?
But this feast, this “romance” is not just for the spouse, or
those otherwise “in love.” This passion and compassion is for all, brothers and
sisters, parents and children. Affection manifests itself in many forms. But at the heart, it calls us to feed, and be fed,
because He is unwilling to send us away hungry, lest we faint
on our way.
Lord, may I listen to the hunger pains of those around me.
May I passionately have compassion for loving. May I look creatively for new
recipes, new ways to love, ways to fill the hunger of their hearts, ways to
lead them to You: the true Satisfier. May I not burn food. Mostly, may I come to that grassy hill, be
in Your presence, feasting on the Word you bless and pass to my mouth.
Make my life be a love-feast in Your banquet room.
Romancing your spouse as part of the: 21 days of Romance challenge?
Here are a few ideas for day 3(with a feasting theme) for today, and I’d
love to hear some of yours too:
Married to an ice cream lover? Open a container of His favorite
ice-cream, press a heart shaped cookie cutter inside, and fill it with
chocolate syrup, and when frozen, pull out the heart mold. Your love, just
under the lid.
Picnic in the dark, a beautiful spread under the stars, lots of
candles (or not) and enjoy the last of summer nights together: your love in the
backdrop of His.
Send a formal invitation for a dinner for two. Plan something
special: your love in every bite.
Love notes in his lunch (or a sandwich wrapped in a paper love
note) tupperware in his lunch that contains a surprise-- other than food. An
unexpected gift card to his favorite lunch shop close to work, a surprise lunch
drop in date, or a “late night at work” package, with some extra treats to keep
him going…
Care to see where we've been on this 21 Days of Romance? (Seeking out romance in His word) You might like to see:
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