Wednesday, January 01, 2014

Are You Headed for the Wedding?



We are up and getting ready to pick up the granddaughter and head to a wedding. A couple of our friends are tying the knot today at the end of an annual biker’s new year ride. We are excited to witness the festive occasion. They have been blessed to find one another when they really weren’t even looking. That’s how God does things. We don’t always know exactly what we want or need, but He provides anyway. In fact it’s pretty wonderful how He surprises us with His love and care and His mercy and grace. All wrapped up in the Savior, we are united with Him.

We as believers are headed to a wedding as well. It’s going to be wonderful! We know the wedding is going to happen, but we don’t know exactly when. In the meantime our Betrothed is preparing everything for us. Nothing will be left undone. Nothing will be out of place. We will be completely fulfilled in Him. He too found us when we didn’t even know what we needed. While we don’t know what all it means to be with Christ in heaven forever, we do know that when it happens it will be perfect.

Life is a lot like a wedding. We prepare as best we can for it, but life’s greatest gifts can’t be worked up or paid for. Those special things like true love, best friends, church families and our beloved human kinfolks are all so wonderful. But in spite of all those wonderful relationships, we know we are still waiting for the ultimate moment of togetherness when God swoops us up like a Bridegroom and takes us away forever to our home of homes.

We are celebrating a new year today. This may be the very year He returns for us. That would be fine with me. I don’t know everything about Him yet, but I know that when I see Him face to face I’ll never be disappointed. Life here is rough sometimes. Rejection, panic attacks, health issues, family problems, job loss and more. We find ourselves less than we want to be. We also tend to define ourselves by the worst of moments.

Yet Christ sees us as we will be. He sees us through rose colored glasses – for we are covered by the Blood of the Lamb. We are able to remain faithful while waiting for Him to come get us for we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit. We also have the mind of Christ so that we know what to do, how to live and what the Word says with clarity. If we were the only one He would have made all these provisions for us. If all we had was the Word of God it would be enough for His Word says “in the beginning was the Word…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

Oh beloved! My prayer for you this New Year’s Day and for the entire year of 2014 is that you would learn to abide in the Lord always. Along with that I pray that you realize the awesome wonder of living a life in Christ. That you would seek His heart to be more like Him. That you know what the hope is of His calling. That you would realize the spiritual aspects of life on earth in a greater way than you’ve ever known. I also pray that as you face your weaknesses you will know that’s where your real strength lies – for He is your strength. When you face moments when you forget how to sing that you will remember He is your song. When you don’t know what to do or where to go, you will fall restfully into His arms in faith. I pray that you will let Him make you what you can’t be on your own and that you will allow Him to pour Himself into you - body, soul and spirit. Let Him make this new year all about Him and hang on as He takes you beyond your wildest dreams!

If you know only one thing about your Bridegroom beloved, I pray that you will know how deep and wide and long His love is for you and that you will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is for you always. Happy, spiritually joyful and prosperous New Year to you for you are His beloved indeed.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

2 Thessalonians 3:5 May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.

Ephesians 1:17-19 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.

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