God's Unfaithful Wife

I just finished reading a book called "God's Unfaithful Wife," and it was remarkable. The book walked through the theme of spiritual adultery in the Bible. All that I can say is that I am stirred and troubled in a very good way. It is so easy to forget the fact that I am Christ's Bride...His lover...His love. I am in a exclusive relationship with Jesus, and there is no other room for competition. I have been joined with Christ spiritually in a similar way to the way a husband and wife are joined physically. I feel nervous even typing this because it seems that it needs to have a holy mystery about it that I want to walk carefully around. I am joined with Christ. Having said this it is unacceptable for me to drawn to any other love...to any other satisfaction...to even flirt with it. The picture of God as a spurned lover, married to an ungrateful adulterous women who constantly spurns her husband to seek illicit relationships with any other common man that comes by is sickening to my stomach; but that is written in the Bible very graphically. I then find myself asking if my heart as wondered from my Love? Am I tempted to have illicit relationships with other loves? Am I an unfaithful wife? I feel the tension between being involved in this world (being salt and light) and cheating on my Heavenly spouse. My heart flirts with other loves like money, comfort, lust, pride, self, ego, image, apathy, and so much more. I see myself at times having my mind shaped more by TV, movies, culture than by Christ. At what point is this wrong? I dont know. I then look at the American Church and say that she is the Bride of Christ. I am part of her...God loves her...I love her; but there are some questions that we need to be asking ourself. Are we still in love with our Groom? Have other things crept in that are stealing our intimacy with our Lover? Are we flirting with other loves? Are we doing more than flirting...Are we chasing ever other man that comes along? Reading through parts of Ezekiel, Hosea, and Revelation I am appaled at how angry, gracious, tender, furious, and relentless God's love is. 2 Cor. 11:2 says, "I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him." Paul goes on to say that he is afraid that they might be deceived and stray away from a "sincere and pure devotion" to Christ. I dont want to stray...I dont want to wander. I want to have that untainted heart, mind, and soul when I meet Christ. That is one of the beautiful things about Christ's redemptive work...He redeems even my adulterous heart.