The Great Romance!
I’ve been listening to their worship CD “Creator” at work all week. The last two nights as I’ve gone on walks around campus, I found myself worshipping and reflecting on the day I get to meet my Jesus. Wow, as a follower of Christ, I truly AM living The Great Romance. I began to think about what it means to present yourself on your wedding day to your bridegroom. Just think about it for a minute.
The wooing and falling in love, the preparations and planning, and then all the people you want to be present at your wedding…
Wooing and falling in Love:
Jesus; the King of Kings, is wooing me closer and closer to himself because He loves me more than I could ever imagine. There’s so much joy in serving Him, because He is EVERYTHING to me! (Psalm 139) He knows me better than I know myself, and wants me to be a part of His life!
He WANTS each of you, too! He created you in His image; He created you to do great things. The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for He is your Lord! (Psalm 45:11)
He adores you! His love is forever and unconditional! And, just like any romance, He wants you to want Him, too. He wants you to CHOOSE to love Him back. God doesn’t want robots, He created people to have the desire to love. The best news about a relationship with God is that even though people dissapoint, He will never dissapoint you and will ALWAYs be there for you. He will always protect you and care for you! He will never leave or forsake you! He is patient, kind, gentle, forgiving, and full of love and joy! There is no reason to doubt or hesitate; His love is the purest of all love. He created Love! And, HE WANTS YOU!
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
2 Corinthians 5:17 It makes no difference when we begin this journey with Him… but He is waiting patiently for you to decide to accept Him. He loves you!
Preparation to Meet Your Bridegroom:
As a Christian, my soul eagerly awaits the day I meet my Creator, Redeemer, and Heavenly Bridegroom! The journey of this Christian life, as I await that glorious day in heaven, began when I accepted His gift of salvation and redemption. It began the day I said YES, I Choose You, Jesus, to be my Lord and Savior, the lover of my Soul! My daily life, from that day forward, has continued in sanctification. Sanctification is the process in which something or someone is made holy. This is God’s desire for us; He has called us to be Holy!
1 Peter 1: 14-16 says, “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
I will continue to mess up in this life, but through the grace of Jesus, I will continue to let His love sanctify my heart and mind until the day I leave this earth. As the body of Christ, we are collectively the Bride of Christ. Each part is different, important, and special to Him. We cannot function without each other! (1 Corinthians 12) Together, we love and serve Jesus as we wait for His Return!
Sending Invitations to friends and family:
Along with preparing myself and the body of Christ to meet Jesus, I want everyone to know the amazing God I love and serve! It breaks my heart to think of how many people I know and love who don’t know Jesus, who I haven’t even sent an ‘invitation’ to come meet Him! I should be jumping at the bit to share Christ’s love and truth with everyone I know, so they might also join in celebrating eternity with Jesus in heaven! Why is it so hard sometimes?
I haven’t had the joy of planning my own wedding, but I’ve helped many friends plan their wedding day! It seems absolutely ridiculous not to send out invitations to a wedding ceremony! People are not going to show up if they are not invited. Granted, some couples might prefer to elope over planning a 500+ person wedding. Regardless of the preference of ceremony, the point is that I want everyone I care about to have a chance to meet the man I love! I want all of my friends and family to be a part of my new life with my soon-to-be husband! Wouldn’t you want to show off the most perfect soulmate ever to everyone you know???
Some people are going to decline their invitation. Some will be too busy to be there, or some might have a conflict of interest. But, regardless of the outcome, I should love them TOO much NOT to invite them and to share with them how much He means to me.
I know people sometimes wonder why I’ve chosen to live without doing so many things, the things our culture deems as “fun” or “normal.” All I can think of in response to that is “it’s not that I’ve chosen to live without, but that I’ve chosen to live WITH and FOR the greatest thing ever!” Jesus suffered a brutal death on the cross for MY sin, in place of me, and conquered death and rose from the grave so I could be included in His family in heaven someday. He died so that I no longer had to be bound to sin, but that I could live in freedom to love Him and love others. How can I NOT respond to His amazing love for me??? This is the greatest love I have ever known. I realize that this world is fallen and is full of sin, and things are going to happen that are out of my control. I will mourn, cry, and be dissapointed as long as I live on earth. Regardless, I have chosen to Praise Him and love Him through wherever this life takes me.
I’ve chosen to live life with Jesus. My actions to live in purity and truth are to honor Christ, in response to His love. HE is my reason for life; His grace has covered my sin! His love compels me!
~ I’m living the Great Romance! ~
TRUTH: We’re all going to meet Jesus face to face someday.
You WILL meet Jesus face to face someday.
What will He say to you?
What will you say to Him?
Do you know Him?
Do you want Him to welcome you home?
Will He say “well done, my good and faithful servant?”
Will he say, “get away from me, I never knew you.”
Are you living the Great Romance?
I pray tonight that you see the love He has for YOU, and join me in the pursuit of His heart. It’s the Great Romance, the most amazing pursual of a Father for His Children; a Prince for His Princess. It’s better than Disney, folks. And Disney is pretty magical. He’s pursuing each of us, even now!
Author/Speaker Sheri Rose Shepherd wrote a very precious devotion book series called “His Princess.” The first two are love letters to and from our heavenly father:
And these two are from the perspective of our Bridegroom:
I feel like the intended audience is young girls, but I’ll be the first to admit that at any age, I’m probably going to love reading a love note from my Heavenly Father or my Heavenly Bridegroom. J
Here’s a love note from Jesus to those who have chosen Him:
I want you to celebrate life with Me. There are so many amazing things we have to look forward to, so don’t let this world keep you from celebrating who you are and the wonderful things to come, My beloved. The things that seem sorrowful now will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever! So stop for a moment. Do something to celebrate the love relationship we have together. Imagine our great and glorious wedding day, and as you do, let your heart bask in the beauty to come.
Love,
the voices of bride and bridegroom,
and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the LORD, saying,
“Give thanks to the LORD Almighty,
for the LORD is good;
his love endures forever.” Jeremiah 33:11
