"The love is better than wine"(Song of Solomon 1:2).
Nothing gives the believer so much joy as fellowship with Christ. He has enjoyment as others have in the common pleasures of life. He can be glad in God's gifts and God's works. But in all these, he does not find as much true delight as in the matchless person of his Lord Jesus. He has wine which no vineyard on earth ever yielded. He has bread which all the cornfields of Egypt could never bring forth. The joys of earth are little better than husks for swine compared with Jesus, the heavenly manna. We would rather have one taste of Christ's love and a sip of His fellowship, than a whole world full of carnal delights. What is the chaff to the wheat? What is the sparkling glass to the true diamond? What is a dream to the glorious reality? What is time's greatest enjoyment compared to our Lord Jesus? If you know anything of the inner life, you will agree that our highest, purest, and most enduring joy must be the fruit of the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. All earthly bliss is simply earthy, but the comforts of Christ's presence are heavenly. We can review our communion with Jesus and find no regrets of emptiness within. The joy of the Lord is solid and enduring. Pride does not look upon it, but it withstands the test of years. It is in time and in eternity worthy to be called the only true delight. For nourishment, consolation, exhilaration, and refreshment, no wine can rival the love of Jesus. Let us drink to the full this evening.