S)"7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints."
Revelation 19:7-8 (NASB)
O) I'll be the first to admit that sometimes it's difficult to relate to a bride. It helps that I have such a great wife, though. Looking back at my wedding day, Kristin did so much look so very beautiful to me! Even now, eight years later, she still takes such great care to look pretty. To my knowledge, I have never asked her put on make up. I've never asked her to change her shirt, or to wash her hair. In my eyes, she always looks beautiful, but that doesn't stop her from trying to please me even more. This is how we should be reacting to God.
A) Whether I'm commanded to or not, and whether or not it holds bearing on my eternal salvation, my reaction to God's love should be one that seeks to please Him. Like a bride who desires nothing more than to look beautiful for her bridegroom, I should want nothing more than to be pleasing in His eyes. This is what should drive me to acts of righteousness. I need to focus less on my temptations and/or mistakes, which are a symptom, and more on His love. I cannot be lighthearted about living holy, but that shouldn't be my focus, because that tends to get legalistic. I need to be reminding myself of the Lord's love, which He lavished on me when He called me His son (1 John 3:1).
P) Father, I can never hope to repay You for the love You've shown me. Your grace is simply unmatched and I will forever be unworthy of it. So, instead of trying to earn Your love and approval, I will commit myself to honor You instead. I will pursue righteousness as a matter of thanks and for the simple joy of knowing that I am pleasing in Your sight. Holy Spirit, remind me of the Father's love throughout my day. Remind me that our relationship is not as simple as legalism; our relationship is personal and based on love. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
P) Father, I can never hope to repay You for the love You've shown me. Your grace is simply unmatched and I will forever be unworthy of it. So, instead of trying to earn Your love and approval, I will commit myself to honor You instead. I will pursue righteousness as a matter of thanks and for the simple joy of knowing that I am pleasing in Your sight. Holy Spirit, remind me of the Father's love throughout my day. Remind me that our relationship is not as simple as legalism; our relationship is personal and based on love. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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