Merry Monday by Parris Bailey
“I am black but comely” Song of Solomon 1:5
This is a very strange verse, one that can only be understood by the Spirit. The Apostle Paul called it the mystery of the Gospel, it is Christ in you the hope of Glory. We can say that where Christ is and goes there is always life and something always changes where He is present. All that came to Him received something good. Reach out and touch His garments and He gives us beauty for ashes, touch Him and He smells of myrrh, aloes and cassia and we are brought into His fellowship. Listen to His voice and He sounds like the voice of many waters and when He speaks He melts away my shame. He takes our sin and transgressions, our filthy rags of unrighteousness and he imputes His righteousness upon us, His holiness where once I was black. Yes, to feel my sin and to know my righteousness, the two must always go together! “For we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is! “I am clothed in rags, He looks upon me and saw me naked, uncared for and told me to “live” and I was made alive and He clothed me in His robes of righteousness! Oh, do not look upon me for I am nothing, look upon Christ in me and I am everything! This is the mystery of the Gospel hidden for ages to be revealed in this age to all that will take Christ as the lover of your soul. His eyes will burn the very lust that has taken you captive for years and set you free from all care. What a glorious confidence we can have in the blood of the Lamb! The sanctifying influences of the Spirit comes to us daily to change us into his image.
Beloved, you are being conformed into his image. The more you see your blackness, the more you will see the image of Christ being formed in you. Thank God, He is the will and the do! My job for the rest of my life is to receive his precious kisses and let them draw me into a steady run all my days. But you must come to Jesus daily, aware of your self righteousness, aware of your own self preservation and say once again, please oh please, I am so very black. Black in myself, but yet so comely, so fair, lovely, inexpressibly glorious through the righteousness of Jesus. Its a win, win my dear! He is our Knight in shiny amour that rescues us from ourselves everyday and in every way possible.