PRAYER + PRAISE
The Love of Christ
- Adam Cole // June 4, 2009
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. —Ephesians 5:25-27
Paul, writing from personal connection with God though not from personal experience (because he remained single throughout his life), lays out the tenants of marriage. For woman, submit to their husbands. For men, to give love in a sacrificial way as Christ did the same.
While the above passage is important to meditate on in terms of marriage, it’s even more important to meditate on in the way that it showcases the deep, deep love of Jesus Christ for us, who claimed to be the bridegroom, making all of us His humble brides.
Sacrificial love is the deepest kind of love. Jesus Christ took that kind of love to the extreme; He gave up His life, so that we could be spotless before our Heavenly Father.
In one of His parables, Jesus says that His friends don’t need to fast because the bridegroom is with them (Matthew 9:15), meaning that because He (the bridegroom) is still on this earth they should be celebrating, not mourning (which was closely related to fasting).
While fasting is a key spiritual discipline for the believer, may we all be in the same atmosphere of celebration as He suggested, for Jesus, the ultimate bridegroom, rests in our hearts.
Praise: That Christ loves us with a deep sacrificial love.
Prayer: That we celebrate each day with Christ as if it were our wedding day.
Prayer for Today: Lord, we thank You for love in this life, for Your love, given to us in a powerful and sacrificial way through Jesus Christ, Your Son. May the extension of His heart to us be remembered and may we be joyous for it. May we love Christ and You in the same way, and build a lifetime of love. In the name of the One who loves us with every part of His soul, Amen.