Attributes of the Bride
Scripture Reading: Revelation 19:7–9
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, these are the true sayings of God.”
Attributes of the Bride
Father God, thank you for the priviledge of eternal life with you and for showing us your enduring love. In your mercy, help us to appreciate your love and give each one of us the desire to live as the Bride of Christ Jesus.
Do you look forward to being called to that marriage supper? Do you find yourself ecstatic as you ponder being united with Christ? We need to shift from our convenient relationship with Him and upgrade in Spirit and in truth. It is time to stop being merely involved with Christ and manifest nuptial commitment as the Bride of Christ. The Bride of Christ is indeed the body of Christ worldwide, the body of believers committed to Jesus Christ. And the marriage supper of the Lamb is only available to this bride.
Four essential characteristics of Christ’s Bride distinguish her from others: labour, endurance, intolerance of evil, and examination of leadership. We must understand these attributes so that we can discover the aspects of ourselves that need improvement, so that we can seek to change our lives to the glory of God.
1. Labour
The bride of Christ, according to Revelation 2 and 3, labours tirelessly for Christ. She has no other agenda than to serve her groom, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church. Nothing else will satisfy.
2. Endurance
The Bride of Christ is patient as she labours. Some people labour but give up after a while. The bride endures because she knows that her groom’s Kingdom is at stake. She faces tribulation and even poverty without complaining because she is rich in Christ Jesus. She does not deny the faith, and with charity and industry is wholeheartedly committed to Jesus. Has the fire that you had upon receiving salvation gone, leaving you trudging to, taking unnecessary breaks from, and complaining about your work for Christ? Have you become lazy or unmotivated when it comes to serving Jesus?
3. Intolerance of Evil
The Bride of Christ cannot bear the presence of evil; she cannot condone an evil system because it is contrary to her nature as
Christ’s bride. Are you comfortable in an evil environment? Ask yourself why. May God give you divine discomfort around everything that is evil.
4. Examination of Leadership
The Bride of Christ tries those in leadership to determine if they are genuine. If the teaching does not comply with the Word of God, the authority of her Lord, she rejects it no matter whom the leader. Are you submitting to leadership simply because of the person’s title? It is time to truly appreciate God’s love by upgrading to a committed relationship in which Christ is the husband and you are the bride.
Prayer Points:
You cannot be married to the Lord Jesus Christ unless you first accept Him as your personal Lord and Saviour. If you have never given your life to Him, pray along with me, “Dear Lord Jesus, I come before you today to surrender my life to you as my Lord and Saviour. I confess and forsake my sins. Cleanse me from my sins with your blood. Write my name in the book of life and put me in the number with the Bride of Christ in Jesus’ name.” Amen.
Dear Lord, in these end times, you are looking for your Bride. Pour out your blessings on us so that the attributes and glory of the Bride of the Lord Jesus Christ will be manifest in our lives from this day on in Jesus’ name. Deliver us from all that make us ineffective for you and grant us the ministerial anointing to serve you in this generation. Amen.
