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JUNE--Month for fulfilled love
and hope as two hearts meld
Father has been honored on his
special June day, and now
he is expected to "give away"
his daughter to some young
fellow who doesn't seem to know
up from down (in her
father's eyes) and is not nearly
good enough for his precious
jewel that he has reared to be
the wife of a successful doctor,
lawyer or chief!
What's a father to do? Most
likely, he'll do as most other
fathers
do--release his lovely daughter
to the young man of her choosing
and hope for the best! At the
altar, the nervous groom will
meet
the lovely bride who has spent
much time, effort and (dad's)
money
to prepare herself for this
moment.
Spiritually speaking, the church
has been called the bride
of Christ. What is His bride doing to make herself ready
for the "marriage supper of the
Lamb"? (Revelation 19:7-9).
Like the bride in Matthew's
story (chapter 25) who did
not know exactly when her groom
would come for her,
so the bride of Christ (the
church) does not know the
arrival
time of her groom (Christ).
Matthew recorded that the
bride's attendants were waiting
for the groom's arrival. Some
were prepared to wait as
long as necessary, while others were not so prepared and
missed out on the wedding
procession,
But the bride was patiently
waiting. What about the bride of
Christ? Are we waiting patiently, fully prepared for his arrival?
Revelation 19:7 says the the
bride "made herself ready."
What can the bride of Christ do
to make herself ready, and
what rule of conduct can she
observe to remain chaste and
pure for her groom? I know that
Proverbs 31 is not usually
referenced to as a guideline for
the bride of Christ, but it
seems
to fit the criteria for a "chaste bride" waiting for her groom.
Looking at some of the
attributes of a "virtuous woman"
in this
scripture can be applicable to
the waiting bride of Christ. The
Bible
leaves no doubt that Christ is
coming back for a "virtuous
woman"
(church), His bride "without
spot or wrinkle" (1 Peter 1:19).
(Keep in mind that betrothal
created a bride and groom and
was a
binding contract dissolvable
only by divorce.)
Proverbs 31:10-31 -
The Virtuous Woman (Bride for
Christ):
:10 She has more value than
rubies. She is so valuable that
nothing less than the blood of
Christ can redeem her.
:11 His heart trusts her. She is
trustworthy because Christ
has given her His nature. He has
given her His great
treasure in her "earthen vessel"
(2 Corinthians 4:7) and enabled
her to keep it safely by
the power of the Holy Ghost. He
will have "great gain"
because she will be actively
engaged in His business.
:12 She "does him good and not
evil." The Holy Spirit has
cultivated the fruit of the
Spirit in her life (Galatians
5:22- 23).
:13 She seeks ways to help His
cause and His family. She
"works with her hands" and
doesn't shirk her responsibility
toward His family (church) and His work (the gospel).
:14 She looks for ways to send
merchandise to far places.
She promotes the gospel and
obeys the command to "go
into all the world and preach the gospel" (Mark 16:15).
:15 She does not discriminate;
she includes provision for her
"maidens" (servants) as well as
for her household.
She knows that Christ died for all, no exceptions.
Marking off the days, waiting
for the groom, making
preparations, leaving nothing to chance,
the bride is ready for the
groom's arrival.
:16 She is industrious, not a
sluggard. She is a good steward
(She considers a field, buys it,
makes a vineyard and creates
a prosperous business). Planting
indicates she is planning and
is prepared for the future. Her
groom wants her to "occupy"
until He comes, to work as if
she will have a long wait and
live
as if He will come for her
today.
:17 She strengthens herself. She
doesn't neglect her well-being.
She is "strengthened with might
through His spirit"
(Ephesians 3:16),
and she knows she can "do all
things through Christ"
who strengthens her (Philippians
4:13).
:18 She knows her "merchandise"
is good. It is a pearl of
great price. She keeps careful
watch over it ("her lamp
doesn't go out"). She lets
her light shine so that her
groom is visible to all.
:19 She makes use of what she
has--yarn, spindle, etc. She
uses
her talents faithfully to honor her groom.
:20 She remembers the poor and
needy and helps them.
She knows we will always have
the poor with us. She sees
an opportunity to do something
"as unto the Lord" and does it.
:21 She is faithful "in season,
out of season." Even in hard
times (snow), her household is
clothed in scarlet
(expensive fabric). She wants
the best for her family.
The bride's love is expressed
toward her family (church)
by giving her finest wares in
her groom's name.
:22 She also expects the best
for herself. She is clothed in
"fine linen and purple (also
expensive)." The groom (Christ)
owns "the cattle on a thousand
hills" and He wants His bride to
be
adorned with His fine robe (of righteousness). She understands
He paid a very high price for it
-- His life. He wants her to
prosper and be in health "even
as her soul prospers."
(3 John :2).
:23 She is mindful of her
influence. "In the gates" was a
place of importance where
transactions and leadership
actions
took place. She knew she could
be a good influence or a
bad influence on the progress of
her groom's business
(spreading the gospel to the
world). She chose the good.
:24 She is always alert for
opportunities to complement her
groom's investments. The bride
watches for opportunities to
make the name of her groom known and respected to
further the work of His Kingdom.
:25 Strength (in the Power of
His might) and honor
(uprightness) cover her and give
promise of eternal
riches to come.
:26 She keeps close watch on her
heart and her mouth,
because she knows "out of the
heart the mouth speaks."
She demonstrates the fruit of the Spirit and lives by
the law of kindness.
:27 She watches her household.
She recognizes and accepts
the responsibility she has for
others. She is not idle, but
watches, prays and stays sober minded while waiting for
her groom to come, claim her as His bride and
consummate the marriage.
:28 She has taught the way of
righteousness to her household
to
avoid rebellion and receives
praise from her betrothed.
She longs to hear His "Well
done!"
:29 She has done well, because
she put her trust
in His
strength.
:30 Charm and beauty are
superficial and will fade and
deceive,
but she has chosen to put her trust in her beloved. She knows
that any efforts she has put forth for her groom will be worth
His acceptance when He comes to take her to
His eternal Kingdom.
:31 She will reap the harvest of
the fruit of her hands.
"In the gates" (a place of
authority) she will honored. Her
groom has given her His name and
the authority it represents.
She has been faithful over a few
things and is now ready to be
made ruler over many.
Who can find a virtuous woman?
Christ can when He comes to
claim
His bride to forever be at His
side. How can He be
assured He
has
a virtuous woman for His bride?
He made
it possible Himself by
giving her His righteousness.
She
accepted His graciousness
and has made herself ready.
She
waits with great expectation
for her groom's arrival,
knowing
that the marriage supper has
been prepared for her.
Delores Adams
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