"That's My King!" Who's Better Than Any Lover Who Deeply Loves The King!

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. King Jesus (Luke 14:26)

All which I took from thee I did but take

Not for thy harms

But just that thou might'st seek it in My arms.

Francis Thompson's poem, "The Hound Of Heaven"

Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay from His own fullness all He takes away. Katharina A. von Schlegel

 

Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:25-26

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18

 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 

This is a merciful lesson I learned (and am still learning) from a courtship/dating relationship that did not work out and ended in heartbreak:

I love the way she loves King Jesus.
But our King Jesus is better than her love for our King!

I love the way she writes poetry about our King.

But our King is better than her poetry about our King!

I love the way she is so eager to tell lost sinners about our King.

But our King is better than her evangelistic zeal for our King!

I love the way she knows the Word of our King.

But our King and His Word are better than her knowledge of the King's Word!

I love the way she studies the Word of our King.

But our King is better than her study of the King's Word!

I love the way she memorizes the Word of our King.

But our King is better than her memorization of the Word of our King!

I love the way she speaks the Word of our King.

But our King is better than the way she speaks the Word or our King!

I love the way she seeks to obey the Word of our King.

But our King is better than her obedience to the Word of our King!

I love the way she prays the Words of our King.

But our King is better than her Bible-saturated prayers to our King!

I love the way she teaches the Word of our King.

But our King is better than her teaching about our King!

I love the way she loves studying and talking about the theology of our King.

But our King is better than her love for the theology of our King!

I love the way she makes sacrifices for our King.

But our King is better than any sacrifice she ever makes for our King!

I love the way she gets excited about our King.

But our King is better than her excitement about our King!

I love the way she delights to read books about our King.

But our King is better than her delight in reading books about our King!

I love the way she enjoys listening to sermons about our King.

But our King is better than her enjoyment of listening to sermons about our King!

I love the way she bows down to worship our King.

But our King is better than her bowing down to worship our King!

I love the way she seeks to serve the poor for our King.

But our King is better than her seeking to serve the poor for our King!

I love the way she praises our King.

But our King is better than her praise of our King!

I love the way she weeps over her sin against our King.

But our King is better than her weeping over her sin against our King!

I love the way she's committed to the church of our King.

But our King is better than her commitment to the church of our King!

I love the way she prays to our King.

But our King is better than the way she prays to our King!

I love the way she loves missions for our King.

But our King is better than the way she loves missions for our King!

I love the way she would play Bible trivia and Bible charades with me hour after hour.

But our King is better than the way she would play Bible trivia and Bible charades with me hour after hour.

I love the way she loves the Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs of our King.

But our King is better than the way she loves the Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs of our King!

I love the way she told me she hates me, compared to her love for King Jesus.

But our King Jesus is better than her telling me she hates me compared to her love for King Jesus!

I love the patience and forgiveness she showed me, even when I disobeyed our King.

But our King is better than the patience and forgiveness she showed me, even when I disobeyed our King!

I love the way she loved me because I belong to our King.

But our King is better than her love for me because I belong to our King!

I love the way her life and time with her pointed me to our King and encouraged me to delight in Him and trust and obey Him.

But our King is better than the way her life and time with her pointed me to our King and encouraged me to delight in Him and trust and obey Him!

Our King is better than any lover! Even the most God-exalting, Christ-centered, Bible-loving, Word-hearing, Word-doing, people serving lover!

Our King is better! Our King is best!

That's my King! Do you know my King today?!

The love of the creature for God and the good, religious activity of the creature for God cannot compare to or compete with God Himself or His love or His redemptive activity for us or His sovereign, good, and perfect will!

Mrs. McFarland, the principal of a Language School in China in the early part of the 20th century, said:

Keep your treasures in the open palm of your hand. If you hold your treasures tight-clenched in your fist, God may have to hurt you in order to open your fingers to take it from you. But if it is offered on an open palm of the hand, you will hardly know when it is gone.

My we hold everything up to God with an open palm!

"Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" Mark 9:24

I prayed: 

I'm also praying for us - that God would lead us into His good, pleasing, and perfect will. That He would bring us together or keep us apart - whatever would bring Him most glory; whatever would help His church the most; whatever would be used by Him to save the most sinners; whatever would help the most poor, needy, and helpless the most; whatever would conform us most to the image of Jesus; and whatever would conform those to whom we minister into the image of Jesus most - may God do that in our lives by bringing us together to achieve those goals or may He keep us apart if those goals would be accomplished better if we are not together. May His will be done. For Jesus' sake. Amen.

Again, God has chosen to keep us apart. Again, His will be done. Again, may He be most glorified.

And again: "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" Mark 9:24

One former pastor, who didn't even know what happened to me, texted me on that hard day: "Praying you will find in the compassionate Christ the healing for your hurts today."

Jesus' heart was broken on that cross so that your heart will never be broken again. Jesus was forsaken on that cross so that you will never be forsaken by the only One Who matters most!

And you will be married someday forever - it's guaranteed! Everyone who is in Christ will be married someday forever to the most beautiful, most satisfying, most all perfect Spouse - the LORD Jesus Christ! If you are in Christ Jesus, by grace alone through faith alone, you will be married forever. And Jesus will be married to you too. He will not remain single forever:

"Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure" - for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." Revelation 19:7-9

Jonathan Edwards wrote:

The end [goal] of the creation of God was to provide a spouse for His Son Jesus Christ that might enjoy Him and on whom He might pour forth His love. And the end of all things in providence are to make way for the exceeding expressions of Christ’s love to His spouse and for her exceeding close and intimate union with, and high and glorious enjoyment of Him and to bring this to pass. And therefore the last thing and the issue of all things is the marriage of the Lamb. And the wedding day is the last day, the day of judgment, or rather that will be the beginning of it. The wedding feast is eternal; and the love and joys, the songs, entertainments and glories of the wedding never will be ended. It will be an everlasting wedding day.

Nothing ultimately satisfies except Jesus Christ. No spouse, no person, or anything else in all creation will ever be enough. Even the most perfect spouse will never be enough. Only Jesus is enough! This song reminded me of this while we were dating:

Come Lord Jesus! Come quickly!

This teaching series on suffering by Elisabeth Elliot (who lost two of her husbands) has helped me tremendously in the midst of heartbreak, suffering, and loss: Suffering Is Not For Nothing

Elisabeth's lectures on loneliness are very helpful. This catechism on singleness is really good too.

"That's My King!" by S. M. Lockridge has also helped me get my eyes off myself and on to my great, all satisfying King Jesus.

To learn more about the great triune God, the God-Man, Jesus Christ, and His glorious Gospel message and everlasting Kingship, please watch American Gospel: Christ Alone. You can watch the full documentary here with a free, 3 day trial.