a                     portrait

      of                   

   jesus 

            

A PORTRAIT OF JESUS

 

              Better Than Wine or Precious

                          Ointment

 

“For Your love is better than wine…Your name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love You!”

                             Song of Solomon 1:2-3

 

     Nothing gives the believer more joy than fellowship with Jesus Christ.  Like others, we enjoy the good things of life plus the added benefits of the gifts and the works of God.  Yet in each of these, and in everything added together, there is nothing equal to the substantial delight that is found in the matchless Person of our Lord Jesus.

 

     Jesus has wine that no vineyard on earth could ever yield.  He has bread that all the wheat-fields of Egypt could never produce.  The most extravagant and precious ointments are nothing compared to the precious fellowship with our Lord. The joys of earth are no better than vile refuse when compared to Jesus, the Heavenly Manna. I would prefer one mouthful of Christ’s love, one sip of His sweet fellowship than a whole world of carnal delights.

 

     What is the chaff to the wheat?  What is an imitation gem to the true diamond?  What is a dream to the glorious reality?  What are yesterday’s joys at their best when compared to our Lord?

 

     If we know anything about the inner life, we will confess that our highest, purest, and most enduring joys on earth are nothing compared to knowing the Lord Jesus intimately. All earthly pleasures are earthy, but the comforts of Christ’s Presence are like Him, Heavenly.  When we review our fellowship with Jesus, we find no emptiness.  There are no dregs in His wine, no dead flies in His ointment.  The joy of the Lord is solid and enduring.  It is not empty and transitory.  An examination with discretion and prudence will testify that it stands the test of time. The Joy of the Lord, in time and in eternity, will be alone worthy to be called the only true delight.

 

     For nourishment, comfort, exhilaration, and refreshment, no wine, no precious ointment can rival the love of Jesus.  Drink deeply of Him each day.  

                                                                                          C. Spurgeon