The New Purpose

Isaiah 62:5 As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.
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Ephesians 5:27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 
 
IN creation’s perfection, God established a perfect, intimate relationship between a man and woman. Genesis 2:22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
   This holy, intimate, loving marriage is given to mankind to be the image of God’s relationship within the Trinity and with each of us. This is his creation; this is his will for the new creation. As a Christian, the triune God sees us as his bride – perfectly, beautifully adorned for a glorious relationship with Him. We are purely connected to him, not by bone, but by Jesus’ body broken and blood poured out for us. in God’s power the Holy Spirit has baptized us to adorn us with his holy radiance. This glorious gift is our means to reflect God’s light into God’s world.
   This is our role as we are a new creation in Jesus Christ. Because the old has died, the Lord God dresses us in heavenly array as God’s bride in his salvation. Our role, then, is to be a faithful bride who loves her husband.
   The New Testament records the many ways of love for one another. The Spirit teaches us of love’s many benefits and purposes. He teaches us that our love for one another shows God our love for  him. We learn of letting go of ourselves, so we can humbly obey the Lord’s Word. Dutiful submission to the Lord becomes a joyful work because it displays our Lord to the world. Each God-appointed thing we do displays our faith level to fulfill vows that commit our lives to him.
   With word and deed, submit to the Lord’s personal love for you. Live abundantly with him forever.
 
Prayer: Lord God, I thank you for the beautiful, intimate image of marriage you give to our relationship with you. I pray for Christian marriages to honor and bless you. I pray for each of us as your church to be a faithful Bride of Christ. Amen.