Dear Fellow Saint,

         I write these daily verse studies out of my going through the
Bible in search of what our Father, Lord Jesus, and Holy Spirit mean of an
INTIMATE LOVE WITH ME?  I was reading last summer, Song of Solomon, and
thought about hurrying through it!  I am 67, and this book did not mean to
much to me as being God's Word on intimate love of mostly newly wed
experiences.  We have been married 40 years.  But, our Lord said to me,
"That is my love for you!"  I said immediately, "NO!"  "We (Lord and I) are
fighters together, I am your servant, warrior, defender of the Word,
sacrificial lover through service and spiritual combat, and proclaimer of
the Gospel - took many hits in life overseas in the spiritual battles and
demoniac oppression!  I am not emotionally involved with you Jesus like the
Song of Solomon!"  "We are warriors together to reach the Marines with the
Gospel and disciple your young Christian, Marine warriors for battle!"  "I
don't want that emotional relationship with you!"  "I trained my kids to be
warriors for you, Lord!"

         Then our Lord Jesus continued to point out He is my groom, and I
am His bride!  He wants an intimate, loving, relationship and communion
with me!  I realized I did not even have a true intimate relationship with
my wife, Wilma.  We were servants together, functioned to get the will and
calling of our Lord Jesus done in our mission and family!  I came to
realize, I did not even know what an intimate relationship was, outside of
sex?  MERCY!  (Service, sacrifice, and spiritual battles drove my life!)

         Therefore, I began to search the Bible from Genesis to Revelation,
now in Deuteronomy, in the discovery of what our Lord means in having a
Song of Solomon, intimate love for me, and I loving Him, intimately?  I
weep now because this is what I needed all my life from my Lord, family,
friends, and workplace!  I missed it for 66 years, even being a Christian,
I did not know Christ Jesus loved me INTIMATELY!

         I am finding since last summer that our Lord Jesus loves us
intimately through being to us:

         A Faithful Covenant keeping Lord, affirming me, leading,
protecting, providing, yes - discipling me in my unfaithfulness to our
Covenant love together, purposeful and maturing love, always with future
blessings in His promises to me, and most importantly, He abides right next
to me always!

         I needed affirmation all my life, and never came to the true
source of affirmation, our Lord and His Word.  I functioned with the Word
as being doctrinal, needing to be APPLIED in my life, obedience and servant
attitude, keeping faithful to my calling and mission in life, and willing
to live sacrificially through all challenges and hurts for the sake of the
Gospel and the Kingdom of God.  "Keep in the battle, II Timothy 4: 7"  But,
I missed the intimate heart need of a loving relationship with Jesus!

         Now, at 67 years old, I am seeking and going through the Bible in
search of what our Lord Jesus means by our having a Song of Solomon,
intimate, abiding love in His presence with Him alone!  Like salvation, it
has to be a heart, experience, and loving relationship!  It is more that a
head Bible knowledge trip, being doctrinally sound, and always getting love
out of serving our Lord - day in and out!

         The greatness of this also, is I am finding out how I need to be
intimate, our Lord's way, with Wilma my wife.  I never knew what intimacy
was in marriage, other than sex?  MERCY!

         So, fellow saint, this is the essence of what is happening in my
joy and burden to share with all the "Intimate love of our Lord Jesus for
us, all who are born again!"  May they not wait till age 67 to discover our
Lord desires an INTIMATE, AFFIRMING, PROVIDING, COVENANT KEEPING LOVE
RELATIONSHIP with them! Amen?  AMEN!

Keep abiding in the intimate love of our Lord Jesus,

Ralph & Wilma Porter
 
Last changed: 09/17/08