The Bride
As I was praying the Lord brought a picture to my mind... a bride, showing up at her wedding. She had obviously been up all night partying, and her bridal gown was torn, smudged and had even been vomited on.
In contrast, the Bridegroom was an impeccable display of what any groom should be. Handsome, tall, gentle and of royal lineage. As I looked at the Bride, she was apparently shameless, expecting the groom to take her as His wife, regardless of her appearance and obvious foolishness.
There was a part of me that was appalled... that the Bride would have such audacity and so little regard for her Husband-to-be.
I thought: “Surely, the Bridegroom will reject this one... How dare she?!?!”
The symbology is obvious... we as Christians have come to expect the Bridegroom to take us in... we live with little regard for our upcoming wedding! And as I see this unworthy display, my spirit cries for “Justice!”.
Then Jesus reminded me of John 8:17. And He reminded me that I too, am that harlot. Then I rejoice again in His grace... in His long-suffering... and I long to be made into a Bride that is worthy of such a gracious and loving Bridegroom. And I'm led to pray in thanksgiving, repenting over my sins as well as the sins of the other members of this Body. I pray for the Bride to be made pure and repentant, just as I long to be made Holy for His sake.
John 8:1-7
1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
In contrast, the Bridegroom was an impeccable display of what any groom should be. Handsome, tall, gentle and of royal lineage. As I looked at the Bride, she was apparently shameless, expecting the groom to take her as His wife, regardless of her appearance and obvious foolishness.
There was a part of me that was appalled... that the Bride would have such audacity and so little regard for her Husband-to-be.
I thought: “Surely, the Bridegroom will reject this one... How dare she?!?!”
The symbology is obvious... we as Christians have come to expect the Bridegroom to take us in... we live with little regard for our upcoming wedding! And as I see this unworthy display, my spirit cries for “Justice!”.
Then Jesus reminded me of John 8:17. And He reminded me that I too, am that harlot. Then I rejoice again in His grace... in His long-suffering... and I long to be made into a Bride that is worthy of such a gracious and loving Bridegroom. And I'm led to pray in thanksgiving, repenting over my sins as well as the sins of the other members of this Body. I pray for the Bride to be made pure and repentant, just as I long to be made Holy for His sake.
John 8:1-7
1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
