“Why
has this wedding day been put off for so many years? It has taken a long time
for the bride's garments to be completed.
2
Pet. 3:11 (AMP) Since all these things are thus in the process of being
dissolved, what kind of person ought [each of] you to be [in the meanwhile] in
consecrated and holy behavior and devout and godly qualities, 12 While you wait and earnestly long for
(expect and hasten) the coming of the day of God by reason of which the flaming
heavens will be dissolved, and the [material] elements [of the universe] will
flare and melt with fire?. Every believing soul is Christ's spouse. The day
of conversion is the day when she is betrothed by faith to Christ; and
therefore she lives in hope for their marriage day when He will come and take
her home to His Father's house--as Isaac took Rebekah into his mother's tent.
And there they will live in His sweet embraces of love, world without end. When
the bridegroom comes, does the bride want him to find her in dirty garments?
"Jer. 2:32 (AMP) Can a maid
forget and neglect [to wear] her
ornaments, or a bride her [marriage] girdle [with its significance like that of
a wedding ring]? Yet My people have forgotten Me, days without number.
Holiness is the
"raiment of needlework" in which you will be "brought unto the
king," your husband Psa. 45:14
(AMP) She shall be brought to the King in raiment of needlework; with
the virgins, her companions that follow her, she shall be brought to You. Why
has this wedding day been put off for so many years? It has taken a long time
for the bride's garment to be completed. But when its preparation is finished
and you are dressed in it, then that joyful day will come: "Rev. 19:7 (AMP) Let us rejoice and shout for
joy [exulting and triumphant]! Let us celebrate and ascribe to Him glory and
honor, for the marriage of the Lamb [at last] has come, and His bride has
prepared herself.
Christian, you
have no more effective argument to defeat temptation than your hope. Of course
it is good when temptation is defeated, no matter what the weapon is. Yet the
Israelites used the poor judgment when they borrowed the Philistines'
grindstone to "sharpen every man...his axe, and his mattock"1Sam. 13:20 (AMP) But each of
the Israelites had to go down to the Philistines to get his plowshare, mattock,
axe, or sickle sharpened. So the
Christian's choice is inferior when he must use the wicked man's argument to
cut through temptation. The saint has more purity of spirit than this. Hope's
innocent argument will put you into a stronger tower against sin than all the
sophisticated weapons of the uncircumcised world.”
Quoted material from, ”The Christian
in Complete Armour Daily Readings in Spiritual Warfare” by Gurnall and James S
Bell. http://www.moodypublishers.com/pub_productDetail.aspx?id=41823&pid=53617
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