Tuesday, May 5, 2009

INVITATION TO A WEDDING!

Picture yourself walking into the crowded excitement of a wedding celebration~~with the sounds of many
conversations; laughter; music; clinking of glasses; surrounded by family & friends at a large table, full of your favorite foods.
You can see the friends & family of the bride & also of the groom, you see the minister who will perform the ceremony. You can smell the fragrant aroma of an abundance of flowers.
There is the bride's maid of honor,,the best man,, the ushers,, flower girl,, ring bearer carrying a beautiful diamond ring on a little royal purple pillow.
Then your eyes gaze upon the handsome Bridgegroom, waiting for His Bride....
Here is her white wedding dress...veil...along with her pearl necklace & rose bouquet...yet....
Where is the Bride??
Then you notice all eyes are gazing on YOU!!
You are the Bride!!! This is your wedding day! Your Bridegroom is waiting for you...the Lover of Your
Soul, your Beloved...don't keep Him waiting any longer...
Song of Solomon 1:10 " I belong to my lover & His desire is for me"
John 14:2 " I am going to prepare a place for you, & if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again & receive you unto Myself..."
Isaiah 62:5 "...as the Bridegroom rejoices over the Bride, so shall your God rejoice over you"
Real love makes a committment...JESUS said I DO at calvary. We say "I DO" at salvation. JESUS is your
Heavenly Bridegroom. He has an everlasting love for you. Be ready to meet your Bridegroom when He
comes. You must always be ready, because you don't know what day He is coming for you.
Matthew 25:1-10..."then the kingdom of Heaven shall be likened to 10 virgins who took their lamps & went out to meet the Bridegroom. But while the Bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered & slept, & at midnight a cry was heard: 'behold the Bridegroom is coming! Go out to meet Him!' ...then all the virgins arose & trimmed their lamps. & the foolish said to the wise 'give us some of your oil for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered saying "No, lest there should not be enough for us, & you but go rather & buy for yourselves & while they went to buy the BRIDEGROOM CAME! & those who were READY went in with Him, to the wedding & the door was SHUT!
The oil represents the Holy Spirit...don't be foolish & let life steal your oil!
Matthew 22:1-10... "sent out His servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; & they were not willing to come! Again, He sent out other servants, saying "tell those who are invited "see I have PREPARED My dinner; My oxen & fatted cattle are killed & ALL THINGS ARE READY...COME TO THE WEDDING! Then He said to His servants, the wedding is ready but those who were invited were not worthy! Therefore, go into the highways & as many as you find, invite to the wedding, so those servants went out into the highways & gathered together ALL whom they found, & the wedding hall was filled with guests!
Are you ready & prepared for your wedding day? It is a sacred committment, a Divine institution. A relationship that needs priority & you must guard yourself against any temptation, that would cause you to hurt your Bridegroom. Don't take Him for granted...don't cheat on Him, don't ignore Him, show your tender affections toward Him, respect & kindness towards Him
God has pursued us from the foundation of the world...longer than time itself! He is the Lover of our Soul.
A COURTSHIP that began with a HONEYMOON in the Garden & culminates in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb!
He loved you before the beginning of time, He has come for you & now CALLS you to journey toward Him, for the consummation of that love.
If GOD is the Pursuer...the Ageless Romancer...the Beloved Bridegroom...then there has to be a Beloved Bride...the one who is pursued...the object of love...that is YOU & ME...all we ever needed was love..not earned or based on what we do..but because of who we are!
Don't let the door shut you out of your wedding feast with JESUS..be sure you have your white wedding garment & your oil in your "lamp"..be prepared, alert, be wise, & ready your Bridegroom is coming!
Can you hear Him?
Marriages in Bible times were arranged, a binding contract, once contract was signed & a pledge given, the couple was "betrothed" [engaged]; which they had to get a "divorce" from if they didn't go through with it.
The Bride has to always be ready, because when the time was right, the Bridegroom & His entourage would come & get her out of her father's house & take her to His. He could come any time of day or night, so she had to be prepared & ready, because she didn't know the day or hour of His coming, she just knew that He was coming!
Marriage was a formal contract in front of witnesses,,or a man would give a piece of silver to the bride in front of witnesses as a pledge.{Isaiah 54:5; 2 Corinthians 11:2}
When JESUS made His pledge at Calvary for you & me, 30 pieces of silver was given.
Jesus is the One who made our wedding garments white. Jesus the Rose of Sharon & Lily of the Valley, He is the Bridegroom & the Beloved. Jesus invited all the guests & sent the invitations, Jesus has prepared the feast..He has done it all..now all we have to do is accept His Marriage Proposal!
Jesus is asking you "will you marry ME?"
Will you say "I DO"?
[Scripture references--
white garments: Revelation 7:14 Revelation 19:7-9; Psalm 51:7; Isaiah 1:18
flowers: Song of Solomon 2:1-2
guests/invitations: Zephaniah 1:7
bride/ bridegroom: Isaiah 61:10, 62:5; Revelation 18:23; 21:6,9; 22:17
wedding feast/marriage supper of Lamb: Revelation 19:1-9; Matthew 22:1-14
beloved: Song of Solomon 2:3]

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