What does God expect His bride to look like?
Ephesians 5:25 - Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
Imagine if I died so someone else could live.
If I said, “I’ll pay the cost, so someone else doesn’t have to.”
Well, Christ gave his life up for the church.
He put her needs before his own.
He did that so she could be:
Sanctified: Set apart
Cleansed: To free from dirt, contamination, or guilt
Washed: To purify
He did it so we could shine like the beautiful brides we are. He wants and expects us to be presented to Him without blemish.
The shallow worldview is for us to cover our blemishes.
But, Christ came to heal them and cleanse us from them.
Wedding Day Prep
When a wife is presented to her husband on their wedding day, she has undergone a series of beautification treatments. She desires to be given to her new spouse without a spot or wrinkle. She wants her partner to look at her with pure love and see her as flawless and gorgeous.
So much preparation has gone into this big day. Months or years of planning to make sure everything is perfect.
It is no different with Christ.
He, too, wants His bride to be presented to Him in the same way.
He wants effort and consideration to “the coming of the bridegroom.”
We prepare endlessly for earthly affairs, but what about eternal matters?
We can see and perceive and give effort to marriage covenants, but what about our divine covenant?
What about Christ? What about his expectations and desire?
After all, He gave up His life to have a relationship with us, to wash us, sanctify us, and cleanse us.
How to Prepare
Revelation 19:7-9
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
Proverbs 31:22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Firstly, recognize that you are valuable and beautiful to God.
.
Purple represents royalty – she knows her worth and value.
Linen is valued for its coolness and freshness in hot weather.
We should be arrayed (displayed or clothed) with good deeds and godly living.
Second, ask God to show you how to prepare yourself.
The Lamb believes that His bride is preparing herself for Him.
I love this analogy because a lot of us prepare ourselves when we are single for our spouse (at least we should be). Our singleness is a time of development with the Lord for our heart's desire. In the same way, we allow God to prepare us; we should eagerly ready ourselves for Christ return. We do this by living a life of good deeds, uprightness in morals, godly living, and walking in the love of the Lord.
Lastly, grasp the revelation that God is your Maker and first love.
Isaiah 54:5 For your Maker is your husband—
the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
He is called the God of all the earth.
Maker – a person that produces something. Creator, manufacturer, constructor, builder, producer, inventor, architect, designer.
I love that God is called a Maker. He has fashioned us together. We use these terms often in occupations in our culture – by doing so, we are representing facets of God. We can look at each of these industries and see how God is so miraculously building, shaping, and molding our very beings for His return.
Challenge
I want you to think about or actually research how to prepare for a wedding. My hope is that as you look at it, and think about the process, that the Holy Spirit will give you a deeper revelation.
I challenge you to think of how you can prepare for eternal things verse earthly things by searching through the Word of God and spending time in prayer this week.
If you get any revelation or further insight, send me a comment below!