I've never experienced the church like this until Tim became ill.
There have always been love and welcoming arms, but to truly experience the Church Christ envisioned—wow. Doing so is the most amazingly simple, yet complex, thing ever. I liken it to a beehive or an ant colony where every need is seen and nothing goes undone. A month out from surgery, and the worker bees still make their way to our door. Even when we said, “We're good,” the bees said, “Nope, you still need.” And their work continues.
I know Christ is looking down with a huge smile. He must nod in approval as His children do His bidding … listen to His call. It is true and abiding kindness.
When John penned his vision of heaven, he spoke of the church as a bride beautifully dressed and waiting for her husband. What an amazing picture to paint. The church clad in the joyful beauty of a bride, and Christ as her husband. His word picture was the best way he could gather his descriptive thoughts of all the church is. After centuries of preparing for the most exciting day of her life, this bride stood in all her glory waiting to be taken in arms.
We daily experience THE CHURCH at our house as the stream of workers who care and nurture to the glory of the King keep coming. God has put an extremely simple, yet utterly complex plan in place. It’s perfect.
I once spoke to our minister on the phone and said, “We’ve seen the true church at work.”
He sighed into the phone and replied, “And she’s a beautiful bride, isn’t she?”
Indeed, she is. If I were to wonder what it means to be fully loved in Christ, it would be through the actions of His bride as she prepares for her wedding day. Everything has been lovingly cared for and put in place. Her preparations were set in play by her obedience and willingness to do as He bid, as He taught, and as He loved. And it was all “good.” She is ready.
Prepare your heart. Be ready for the day the groom comes for His bride. You will not want to miss the celebration.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
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Cindy K. Sproles is a best-selling, award-winning author. She is a speaker and a conference teacher who teaches nationwide. Cindy is the cofounder of Christian Devotions Ministries, www.christiandevotions.us, and www.inspireafire.com. She serves as a writing mentor with WRAMS (Writing Write Author Mentoring Service) and is the director of the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. Visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com.