Often we desire to see Jesus in person; to look on His face; to touch Him; to be with Him. The Bible documents these components of His physical attributes in Song of Solomon chapter 4:

Jesus is pure, viral, healthy¹⁰ My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.

Jesus is Sovereign, healthy, ageless. His hair is not gray, thin, receding or gone.

¹¹ His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven.

Jesus is focused on you & your spiritual health, steadfast.

Doves have no peripheral vision. This indicates His perfect focus on you.

¹² His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.

His cheeks are sweet. His lips are fragrant with words of love

¹³ His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh

Remember the words of Isaiah 50?⁶ I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

⁷ For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.

When we see Him, will there be missing hairs from His beard? Did they pluck out the hair follicles, also?

His sovereign hands created you and bore the cross for you He stands ensconced in a human body but glorified.¹⁴ His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.

Soft were your hands, Dear Jesus -Geoffrey O’Hara 1936

Soft were your hands, Dear Jesus.So gentle the touch of You

Like a rose that opens at breaking dawn Still gemmed in crystal dew.

Hands that bore the rugged cross and built a faith divine.

Strong were your hands dear Jesus.Ah, would they had touched mine.

Ah, would they had touched mine

Jesus stands the storms of time with Sovereignty. He is forever able to hold you up from the chaos.¹⁵ His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

His words to you are of love. Jesus is your Friend ¹⁶ His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

Altogether Lovely – Wendell Loveless, 1931

Altogether lovely. He is altogether lovely and

the fairest of ten thousand this wonderful Friend divine.

He gave Himself to save me. Now He lives in Heaven to keep me.

He is altogether lovely is this wonderful Savior of mine.

Questions for reflection

1) What church activities keep your focus off Jesus?  Why?

2) What busyness gets in your way of time alone with Jesus?

3) Think on Psalms 139: How can these verses help?¹ (To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.) O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

² Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

³ Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

⁴ For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

⁵ Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

⁷ Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence

4) Which of the characteristics of your Beloved matter most to you right now? Why?

5) When you encounter family/friends who do not understand your love for Jesus, what do you say?

What do you do?

6) What do you most want to tell Jesus right now?

Hebrews 12:¹ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God

Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you, has uniquely designed and created only one you, has a good plan for your life, runs with you and will accomplish His purposes for you and through  you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti