I heard a radio message this week on “Revive Our Heart” (Nancy Leigh DeMoss) about how marriage is representative of the gospel.
Being the visual thinker I am, I have been pondering this all week. How marriage of the Bride and the Bridegroom is similar to the image of the Bride and the Bridegroom in the gospel, of Messiah and His beloved Church.
It has challenged me to look at the attitudes and actions I have towards my earthly bridegroom at times.
- Would I talk, act, or think negatively about my Bridegroom, Jesus, like I often do my husband?
- Do I brush off Jesus or get irritated with Him like I do my own bridegroom? If I don’t, then shouldn’t I treat my husband with the respect I have for Jesus?
- The church is Bride of Christ, the hands and feet of Jesus on earth. Should I grumble in serving my husband if I don’t find it offensive in serving my Jesus?
The list could go on and on, and it does in my mind. I’ve been given a new filter, or new eyes, to look at my marriage and relationship with my husband.
I have to admit, I tend to rebel at times against the submissive/servant mantra coming from most Christian circles regarding marriage. I guess it’s because I’ve been “told” to accept and practice these roles because scriptures say so. Period. I don’t really remember having an explanation why.
But that is what the analogy between marriage and the gospel has done for me. It’s given me new eyes to see how the relationship between Christ and the Church should be modeled in marriage. And it’s a beautiful picture of love and devotion……and if marriage is to represent the gospel, I have a new perspective on how I can better represent the gospel to my partner, my Bridegroom, on earth.
I have been challenged and blessed by this message.
What a privilege to be a part of the great gospel story.
www.thewomanthang.com
This is good…I needed the reminder.I have also heard for us not to grumble against the church because she is His bride..and what groom wants to hear others tear his bride down. That comes to mind when I start to complain against the body of Christ…which I am apart of.So you have also given me another example to remember!