Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from John Waller singing … The Marriage Prayer … poignantly singing of how, when Christians come together and stay together in marriage, it is a prayer that reflects what God, the Father, intended for His Son and His Bride, the Church.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Genesis 2:18 [NLT] ... 18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”
… God created mankind for togetherness.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Genesis 2:18-24 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, the Father, created a help mate for man and for them to be with each other til death do them part.
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Reference Passage : … Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God designed mankind for togetherness and unity as His Body.
Reference Passage : … Song of Solomon 8:6-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s song, thru Solomon, of the seal of marriage He desires for His Son and His Bride, the Church.
Reference Passage : … Isaiah 54:5 [NLT] ... For your Creator will be your husband; the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth.
… What God, the Father, prophesies for His Son, … a Bride forever !!
Reference Passage : … Ephesians 5:25-29 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, explains His intention that marriage reflect the Father’s desire for His Son to have a Bride forever.
Reference Passage : … Revelation 19:6-8 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Right now, as Christ’s Bride we are preparing ourselves for our Bridegroom and the wedding feast of the Lamb of God.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Alyson Kieda, uses a story about an elderly couple who were totally dedicated to one another as a human illustration of God’s desire for His Son to have a helpmate, a BRIDE, forever. … The ODB author wrote: “I take care of him. When he’s happy, I’m happy,” says Stella. Merle replies, “I’m happy when she’s around.” Merle and Stella have been married for 79 years. When Merle was recently admitted to a nursing home, he was miserable—so Stella gladly brought him home. He’s 101, and she’s 95. Though she needs a walker to get around, she lovingly does what she can for her husband, such as preparing the food he likes. But she couldn’t do it on her own. Grandchildren and neighbors help with the things Stella can’t manage.
Stella and Merle’s life together [see photo] is an example of Genesis 2, where God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (v. 18).
As I indicated in my journal entry two days ago, my wife and I may not be as old as Merle and Stella in the ODB story, but we have been married for 55 years [yesterday]; and everyday, even during this viral pandemic we’re going thru now, we recognize just how true it is for us to spend our lives in a loving community as the Bride of Christ. Yes, marriage was intended to be a human reflection of what God, the Father, desired for His Son, … to spend eternity with a Bride. And The Church is that Bride.
Therefore, … my wife and I know, … and have experienced, … the togetherness that reflects what God, the Father, desired and created for His Son, … a Bride for eternity. And for those marrieds who’re reading here, I desire for you all to cherish the togetherness in your marriage, … just as God’s Son, Jesus, has for His intended Bride. And for those not married, realize, as it says in Rev. 19, that we Christians are simply preparing ourselves, as the Bride of Christ, to be with our Bridegroom forever after the wedding feast of the Lamb of God.
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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for giving me a helpmate to live out my life as a reflection of Your eternal love for Your Bride.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me, … to prepare ourselves for the wedding feast of the Lamb. 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.</ span>
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