Devotional Song: Go to this link … Please take the time to take in a video of an anonymous group singing a tribute song to Christ as the Bridegroom, Holy - Bride of Christ, … proclaiming that Christ’s church is the Holy Bride at the wedding feast of the Lamb of God
Highlight Passage #1 Revelation 19: 7-8 [NKJV] …
7 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.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
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Highlight Context - Revelation 19: 4-9 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK … John’s vision of the wedding feast of the Lamb of God
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Reference Passage #1 - Luke 5: 33-35 [NKJV] …
33 Then they said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?”
34 And He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.” …
Jesus responds to the religious leaders and stated clearly that HE was “The Bridegroom”
Reference Passage #2 - John 3: 27-29 [NKJV] …
27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.
... John, the Baptist’s witness of Jesus being “the Bridegroom”
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread devotional entry, authored by Joe Stowell, related how, as a Pastor for many years Stowell performed many weddings; and each time he reveled in the reality that the Bride was always “the star” of the event. However, Stowell reminds his readers that there will be one wedding, the Wedding Feast of the Lamb of God, where “the star” will be The Bridegroom, … the Lamb of God Himself, returning to claim His Bride, the Church.
Stowell goes on in this ODB entry to point out that The Church today has many faults and blemishes; and today’s highlight passage from Revelation 19 rightly disclaims that The Church, collective, should be doing more to prepare Herself for Her Bridegroom. However, The Church has been selected by the faith of its election to be Christ’s Bride, which is made clear by Jesus Himself and by John The Baptist (see Luke 5: 33-35 and John 3: 27-29).
Being a male, sometimes it’s difficult for me to think of myself in the role of Christ’s Bride; but since His Bride, THE Church, is constituted by all who've declared Christ to be their LORD and Savior, we all await Jesus’ return to claim His Bride; and in this wait, we are, according to the highlight vision of the Apostle John (again Revelation 19: 7-8) the Bride (i.e., The Church); and we should be preparing our linens (i.e., with our righteous acts) for the wedding feast of the Lamb.
I’m convicted today, as Christ’s Bride, that I should be doing much more to diligently prepare for my Bridegroom’s return. … How about you?
My Prayer for Today … Lord, … My life are my linens, being prepared for Your return for me as Your Bride. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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