Sealed - Part 2ಮಾದರಿ
Day 6: The God of Jealousy
God is a consuming fire. Significantly, Moses received this understanding directly from the Lord. God told Moses:
"The Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." Deuteronomy 4:24
When God gives an interpretation of a metaphor, any other explanation becomes secondary. God revealed Himself to Moses. The Lord connected His consuming fire with His jealous desire. If He had not done that, we might never have understood that His consuming fire and jealous desire are deeply connected.
Fire is more than just a matter of removing the wrong things. It is the revelation and the unveiling of what burns in the heart of God: zealous love.
He is a consuming fire, which means a fire that devours. If we walk in agreement with Jesus, we want Him to devour the things that are getting in the way of His love in our lives. We want to love Him more and feel His love. We want Him to consume and destroy the things that hinder our fellowship with Him.
But for those who resist Jesus, His love is still a devouring fire. He is a consuming fire that desires us with zeal. He fiercely destroys that which resists His love.
Many people talk about fire, but they may only mean judgment. But fire is the first desire before it is judgment. It is His desire for love that creates the need for judgment.
When we approach Jesus in prayer and worship, we must understand that He has eyes of fire because He is a God of strong desires and jealousy. This is fundamental to the Bride's perspective. God does not have just power; He has desire.
He is filled with holy and compassionate jealousy. His jealousy is sacred. It is pure and for our good and the good of His Kingdom. It is not a fit of weak, selfish, evil, and envious jealousy. It's not jealousy like people have. It is jealousy for our good and His glory. Fire consumes and takes possession. It controls. God's love takes possession of everything that stands in its path.
There is no creature hidden from the fiery eyes of Jesus' jealousy. The awareness that God sees everything we do is a practical definition of the fear of God. If you know that He sees everything, you fear the Lord.
Many people live disconnected from this reality. Everything we do is before the eyes of God.
He sees the good in our cry and our heart's intention to do good. He carefully takes notes and observes everything. That significantly strengthens those who love Him.
It is a mighty truth that makes the righteous pleased and the wicked offended – the truth that God sees everything.
My Prayer:
Father of glorious love, Your zeal for my good is enormous. You see the end from the beginning, all possible paths and choices available to me and that I would choose. I trust in Your love. So I ask that You close doors that would be curses to me, remove idols that become obstacles to my fellowship with You, and bring judgment to the sin in my life so I can enjoy the fullness of Your loving companionship. I thank You for the suffering, pain, and disappointments. Nothing is hidden from You, and I must live knowing that You see everything. You see the intention of my heart to please You and the little deeds I do to obey Your Word. You are jealous of me, and I thank You. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
About this Plan
This devotional is the second part of the "Sealed" series based on Song of Songs 8:6. In 7 days, we will meditate on God's seal on our arm and His burning, jealous love for us. You can find the first part by searching "Sealed - Part 1". Read and listen by pressing the Play button. Focus on the Bible verses, for they are the Voice of God over us.
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