God Is a Jealous Lover

“For the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Exodus 34:14, NKJV).

Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? (see 1 Corinthians 10:22). Yes, it is possible. Paul wrote in his letters to the effect of “You have testified that you love him. You’ve even taken his name, yet has someone or something else stolen your heart?”

You can say you love Jesus; you can go to church every time the doors are open, but do you seek him when your time is your own? How many books, magazines and newspapers do you devour? How much media gets your attention, and yet you never give a thought to spending time with Christ?

Preachers search their Bibles for sermons. Sunday school teachers study it for lessons. Why do we not turn to it for recreational reading, to be refreshed by our Lord? Why don’t we open it to learn of him and to love him?

The Bible is Jesus, God’s own Word. It reveals his heart; everything about him is unmasked there. I would think that if you truly love him, if you expect to spend eternity as his bride, then you would want to learn everything possible about him.

Our Lord yearns after us, wanting our time and attention. However, he sees us spending all our time on other people and other things, and that makes him jealous. The day is coming when his jealousy will “burn” against those who turn to vain idols (see Deuteronomy 29:20). It will burst into flames of judgment.

Beloved, when that day comes, I know you want Jesus to take your hand and whisper, “At last we’re together! You have desired me so. You have given me the best of your life, your time, your attention. Come, now. Let us be one.”

How will you stand before him on that day? Everything of this world is going to burn, but what about your intimacy with him? Will you be able to stand before him knowing you shut out the world and cried out that you wanted to know him?