Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. Rev. 19:7
other reading: Isa. 62:5; 2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 21:2; 22:17
This image of the church refers to the practice of the bride preparing for her wedding. She bathes, dresses in her wedding clothes, and waits faithfully for the groom to come. A bride is faithful to her husband, morally pure. As such, she is an image of future things. The church is to be presented to Christ as a morally pure, faithful, adoring bride.
Is the typical church concentrating on being pure for Christ? How can we answer yes when statistics show that most church members do not read their Bibles or pray on a regular basis? What about the divorce rate, adultery rate, gossip rate, etc.? They are the same inside as outside of the church walls. What are churches doing if they are not in the process of making themselves pure for the coming of Christ? (You answer that one.)
But what about me? How am I making myself pure if I struggle with the same sin and never gain victory. How can I say that I am preparing myself when my prayer life is more like a wish list than a process of purity. It doesn't really matter if anyone else is in preparation, I truly want my life to make God smile on the wedding day!
My wife and I have been married for fourteen years this December. I can still remember (which is good for me) what she looked like when I saw her in at the back of the church on our wedding day. I could not believe she was going to give herself to me - to me! I so married out of my league. She had spent a year planning the wedding and preparing for that moment. And let me tell you, it was truly worth it and I appreciate her for it.
Why should I be any less of a bride for Christ than my wife was and is for me?
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