Tag Archives: Give honour

THE BRIDAL GOWN

Christian Life, ,

Revelation 19:7-8 NLT
[7] “Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. [8] She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.”

Her wedding day has finally arrived. After many months of planning and preparation, she is ready to don her wedding gown, the centre and focal point of her adornment for that day.

Her hair has been washed and styled, her jewellery in place but, without her wedding gown, she is not yet the perfect bride.

Imagine the anticipation as the bridegroom awaits her arrival! He strains for a glimpse of his beloved, walking slowly, steadily up the aisle towards Him on the arm of her Father.

His first glimpse is a vision of snowy white, signifying her purity as she has guarded her body for Him alone. Slowly, she moves up the aisle towards Him; the vision of her beauty takes shape and form.

On the day of their betrothal, He gave her the bridal gown, a perfect fit, unblemished, a replica of His vision for her. “Adorn it,” He said,
“with the jewels and embroidery that speak of who you are.”

The interval between their betrothal and their wedding day was not to be wasted. It was to be a time of perparation. She was to set herself apart from all other men. She was to close her door to those who once sort her as a prospective bride. She was betrothed to one lover and all her love and attention was to be on Him.

She was to spend the interim preparing her bridal gown. She was to work tirelessly on her garment ofcl righteousness, embroidering her life with the adornments of good works and righteous living in obedience to her Beloved.

“For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.”

Her gown was breathtakingly beautiful. Gold and silver flowers with glittering centres, fruit of a myiad hues, and creatures alight with jewelled eyes, danced around the billowing skirt. Her semi-translucent veil only faintly hid the gleam of passionate love in her eyes. The train of her garment, littered with gems of every colour and hue, flowed out behind her like a gentle stream.

Every stitch of gold and silver spoke of her chaste and purposeful life as she awaited her wedding day. She longed to be worthy of the love her Beloved poured upon her day after day as they prepared for their union.

She spent many hours stitching into her wedding gown the story of her love for to Him. She crafted in gold and silver the fruit of His spiritual gifts she freely gave to others, the evidences of loving service and generosity to the needy, the hours she spent building into others the treasures of His Word.

Her gown was a library of tales of faith, hope, and love. Her heart pounded inside her with anticipation of His joy when He was finally satisfied with the fruit of His love for her.

The many attempts to embroider the perfect flower, to depict the vigour and energy of the creatures replicated in every stitch, the time spent in setting every scene alight with colourful gems, was worth the pain and toil to see His face.

The wedding gown had done its work well. It had told her story of commitment, perseverance, and faithful service. Its beauty had mirrored the beauty of her heart as He read all the details in its adornment. She was truly His and His alone. He knew that, what she had written of her preparation for that day in her wedding gown, would continue forever in her eternal union with Him.

As I have worked on my bridal gown for many years, there have been spots and wrinkles to deal with if I am to be to Him the perfect bride He has made me to be. How can I present myself to Him with the fabric of my gown smudged and blottted by sin and disobedience? How can I cleanse away the dirty spots that spoil the pure unblemished white of the His righteousness He gave me?

No soap or detergent can restore the purity of His gown. My sin needs the only cleansing agent that can restore my gown to perfection.

1 John 1:7, 9 NLT
[7] “But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin….
[9] But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

There is only one way to stay pure and to wash away all unrighteousness…the powerful cleansing blood my Bridegroom Himself, shed for me. His own blood has washed me clean of all the spots and blemishes I inflicted on my gown. It is possible, then by His grace alone, to meet His expectations on that glorious day. We shall come face to face and He will carry me over the threshold into the bridal chamber to become one with Him forever.

HUSBANDS, YOU TOO – 6

Christian Life, ,

1 Peter 3:7 NLT‬
[7]”In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.”

Peter includes advice to husbands in his collection of gems for this ‘crown of righteousness’ we will receive for faithfulness to Jesus.

What does ‘give honour’ mean? The Greek word ‘time’, (pronounced teemay), has the meaning of giving monetary value to something, figuratively meaning esteem, worth, dignity.

Husbands are to esteem their wives of great worth as precious, preserving their dignity and treating them with understanding. What must they understand? A wife is weaker in her physical makeup but equal in her position in Christ. Husband and wife are equal partners in their new life. “

There is a price to pay for those husbands who lord it over their wives, undermining their dignity and worth as equal partners in their marriage…they will spoil their fellowship with God.” Any untoward treatment will hinder your prayers,” said Peter.

When we consider the unique relationship God has planned for marriage partners to enjoy, one ingredient stands out that provides the glue that keeps the partners together…. humility!

What is humility? Despite the Bible’s simple definition of humility,

‭Proverbs 22:4 NIV‬
[4] “Humility is the fear of the Lord;…”

… I believe that there are other elements to humility that give us a clearer understanding of its meaning.

I asked myself the question, “Is God humble?” If not, then what is He… proud, arrogant, self-righteous? None of these descriptions fit the nature of God. In fact, Jesus claimed to be ‘humble and gentle in heart’.

Humility, then, is much more than the fear of the Lord, unless the fear of the Lord includes the qualities I am about to present.

Does Peter mention humility in his letter? Yes, he does.

‭1 Peter 5:5-6 NIV‬
[5] “In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” [6] Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

There it is again! Humility in the context of submission!

Let’s consider some of the elements that make up humility so that we can draw a picture of the way humility functions in a marriage partnership.

  1. Humility means accepting and functioning in one’s unique position in the world without force or coercion.

If we accept that God is humble, it means that God takes His rightful place as ruler of the universe and functions from that role without force or coercion. How true that He never forces anyone to accept His authority but He does warn of the consequences of disobedience.

  1. Humility accepts the other person/persons for their place in the universe.

What applies to me applies equally to all other persons.

  1. Humility allows the other person the choice to respond or refuse to respond whatever the issue.

A humble person allows another to make his own choices. He does not force his will on another simply because he believes he is right or wants what he wants.

Does not God accept our right to be wrong? Yes, He does. He gave us freedom to choose and never violates that freedom even if our choices destroy us. However, He offers mercy to those who acknowledge they are wrong and turn away from the wrong they chose.

  1. Humility has authority if it willingly comes under authority.

On earth, Jesus had authority because He was under authority. That means that, since He always submitted to the Father’s will, He required that others do the same to Him. Submission and obedience, which are the fruit of love and trust, are the hallmarks of a true son. These qualities qualify a son to act in behalf of the father.

  1. Humility accepts one another’s differences, and works within them without trying to change the other person.

Without humility, two people in a marriage partnership will always try to change each other. This is not God’s mandate for marriage. His mandate is to love and submit to one another.

  1. Humility keeps the greater purpose in view, focusing on protecting love and promoting unity in preference to demanding its own way.
  2. Humility is the willingness to submit to another person’s sacrifice without protest.

Humility provides the environment for unselfish service which is the role of a husband as servant leader.

When we put these elements of humility in place in a marriage partnership (or in any other partnership), God’s pattern for marriage becomes a workable alternative to the chaotic relationships in many marriages. It enables us to fulfil God’s plan for marriage which is to reflect the unity and harmony that exists in the Godhead.

When I think about these qualities, I discover that humility is an attitude which can only be seen by the way people treat one another. Like many other attitudes, e.g., love, hate, compassion etc., these attitudes don’t stand on their own. They are woven into the character of an individual by his behaviour towards others.

So, Peter can say to us, “Put on humility like a garment. Act humbly and you will become a humble person.”

How important this is for both husbands and wives if we want to do what God desires – to become one.