Let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let us give the glory to him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready.†It was given to her that she would array herself in bright, pure, fine linen: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.     Revelation 19:7-8 (WEB)
I have the greatest job! I get to read some really wonderful manuscripts and books. The one that I am currently reading by Rev. SJ Hill has me thinking about marriage.
Have you ever thought about this passage in Revelation? Have you thought about being the Bride of Jesus Christ?
I got married when I was 22 years old. I had finished college and began my RN career. And I knew little about marriage. My parents had a very traditional marriage that lasted 50 years. The husband worked hard at a job and the wife raised children and kept the house. That wasn’t going to work for me. I knew my parents loved each other other although they weren’t particularly demonstrative.
After over 30 years of marriage, (almost 20 years the first time, divorce, and now 11 years), I look at an eternal marriage as an opportunity to learn some things that may be applied in this life.
– God has a passionate love for me. God doesn’t look at me and want to pinch my cheek. He looks at me with the same passion as a man and woman look at each other on their wedding night. Most of us may feel a little bit of uncomfortable with that picture. But this is my Creator who knows me intimately.
– God loves me unconditionally. God knows me intimately. He created me in His image. He knows the ‘all’ of me. He loves me. Period. No ‘but’ or ‘except’ or ‘however’. He loves me.
– “…two become one…†(Matthew 19) Jesus repeated what He said in Genesis 2. It’s not just about sex. It is a mystery to me just as the Trinity is a mystery to me. The Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are three – but they are one. Henry and I are two – but we are one. I am not as complete without Henry as I am with him. And we are not as complete without God as we are with Him. Henry and I and God are three – but we are one. It’s a mystery that I cannot explain with mere words but I know it in my heart and my spirit.
I want to learn more and more about marriage with Jesus as my Teacher. Henry and I want our marriage to be patterned after Jesus’ promised marriage to us. We want to learn from all the examples that He has given us throughout the generations. Rev. SJ Hill has me looking at those examples in his book. I am getting a Bible study while I work! I told you I have a great job!
