Hotel Under New Management

The resort we vacationed at yearly was under new management. The couple who had owned the hotel had retired, selling this get-away place we’d come to love.

“Oh, the new owners have big plans,” the waitress said as we dined.

“Big plans? How so?”

“They are going to renovate everything. And I do mean e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g…” She pointed to the wall mural.

That location had become our photo shoot spot. We had memory after memory of good times, and it had become our tradition to take a photo with the backdrop being the banana leaf mural.

I wasn’t sure I liked the concept of having new plans.

As much as the hotel did need a redo, I wondered if we’d have a place to return to. Would the new owners do right by the patrons, or would they be in it to make a buck? I just didn’t know.

The resort we’d relished was going to change, and we had no choice but to relinquish the old and hope for the best.

As the Bride of Christ, We Are Under New Management

Come with Me…

~Song 4:8 NKJV

Bride of Christ, our Beloved calls us to go deeper with Him, for we too are under new management. No longer do we serve our own agenda. Rather, we follow our Bridegroom.

Throughout the vignette, we see how we as Bride accept being under new management increasingly.

The first scene shows our ultimate destination—the wedding chamber behind the veil—but then we discern that we are going to need to listen to our Bridegroom Jesus’ voice so we can go on this spiritual journey with Him.

We start out lost, in a terrible spiritual condition, persecuted, and pressed by family to accept religious dogma rather than the real deal (Song 1:5-6). When we finally follow the shepherds, seeking to find Beloved, He compares us to Pharaoh’s chariot horses—enemies of His (Song 1:9). This shows that even though we are seeking Him, we need an attitude adjustment.

Entering In

Repentance comes as we know Beloved Jesus has only our best interests at heart (Song 1:10).

Soon, we are preparing for our wedding (Song 1:10-11), being fully committed to following our Bridegroom.  After our marriage (Song 1:13-16), Beloved still has plans for spiritual growth, calling us to commune with Him (Song 2:4). We go on a spiritual journey through the mountains (Song 4), each prayer location drawing us closer to our Beloved Groom.

We continue this journey, even stumbling from Him and returning (Song 5:2-9), which only serves to demonstrate His amazing grace.

At last, we come to the place where Beloved is our focus, with no other activity being more important than loving and serving Him (Song 5:9-12).

The last step in our spiritual journey is to readily share our Beloved with others while we await His soon return (Song 6:10-8:14).

Throughout this entire journey, one truth is clear: We must permit our Bridegroom to lead us and to accept His assignments. Remaining stagnant is not to be our activity. He has destined for us a fulfilling spiritual life.

Are We Ready for the Spiritual Journey Beloved Leads Us on?

Make haste, my Beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.

~Song 8:14 NKJV

Friend, are you ready for the spiritual journey Beloved Jesus is orchestrating? Our Bridegroom is enthusiastic about helping us to follow Him as He enriches our lives. He is the powerful gazelle or the youthful stag dancing on the mountaintops. He knows there is good on the horizon, and He is ready to take us there.

One truth can carry us through, and that is that His love for us remains constant. Beloved does not ask us to journey with Him to cause us harm. Rather, He knows that the deeper we enter into His love, the more fulfilled we become, and the deeper we will fulfill His assignments for us.

Do you hear your Bridegroom’s voice whispering, “Come with me”? Are you prepared to respond with a “yes”? The trajectory of your life already changed when you said “yes” to His marriage proposal.

Take Beloved’s hand and enjoy the spiritual journey. New heights of discovery await as you trust the One who loves you best.

Are you ready for the spiritual journey Beloved Jesus has planned for you?

My Bridegroom Jesus, I am willing to journey with You, for I know You have my best interest in mind. Take my hand and lead me as I fulfill Your desired assignments.

Your Bride,

Love

Genre: Devotion

Copyright 2023: Under New Management: Diane Virginia Cunio: All Rights Reserved