Becoming the bride of Christ

 Psalm 45:1–17 (ESV):  

1  My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; 

I address my verses to the king; 

my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe. 

2  You are the most handsome of the sons of men; 

grace is poured upon your lips; 

therefore God has blessed you forever. 

3  Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, 

in your splendour and majesty! 

4  In your majesty ride out victoriously 

for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; 

let your right hand teach you awesome deeds! 

5  Your arrows are sharp 

in the heart of the king’s enemies; 

the peoples fall under you. 

6  Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. 

The sceptre of your kingdom is a sceptre of uprightness; 

7  you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. 

Therefore God, your God, has anointed you 

with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; 

8  your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. 

From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad; 

9  daughters of kings are among your ladies of honour; 

at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir. 

10  Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: 

forget your people and your father’s house, 

11  and the king will desire your beauty. 

Since he is your lord, bow to him. 

12  The people of Tyre will seek your favour with gifts, 

the richest of the people. 

13  All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold. 

14  In many-coloured robes she is led to the king, 

with her virgin companions following behind her. 

15  With joy and gladness they are led along 

as they enter the palace of the king. 

16  In place of your fathers shall be your sons; 

you will make them princes in all the earth. 

17  I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations; 

therefore nations will praise you forever and ever. 

Written about Solomon, the wisest and richest king that ever lived, we can see the honour and love which the nation had for him. They see the favour of God upon him, possibly more so than his father, David, as Solomon lived in the goodness of the victories that his father had won. Although this psalm has been written to honour and commend king Solomon to his new bride, it can also clearly be applied to Jesus and his bride, the church. For a man other than Jesus cannot display these qualities as magnificently as the Son of God. So, as we read and consider this piece of writing, take into account the fact that this writer not only commends marriage between man and woman, but also commends the greater calling of us being united in love to God.

The psalmist recognises the splendour of the groom - not just in appearance, majesty or riches but in character and worth. These attributes are far more attractive than any physical beauty or financial benefit. This psalm recommends the groom to his bride by showing how he is; kind, courageous, meek, gracious, capable and honest. On this basis the writer encourages the bride to be all in on this marriage. The groom seeks her beauty and she in return will benefit from his loving, generous and kind nature. If she gives herself fully into the arms of her husband and embraces his kingdom then she will prosper as a wife. The psalmist is encouraging this marriage and shows concern and desire for this marriage to be successful as they can see the future benefit of such a union. This is true for the marriage of Solomon and his Egyptian wife as well as for Jesus and His bride, the church. 

The reality of marriage is that although it is a joyous time that people gather to celebrate, it also contains a terrifying reality for the bride. She has to leave all she has known, her family, her nation, culture, associated faiths and beliefs in order to become a wife. She has to give up what she has known in order to become a bride and then a wife. Yet as the psalmist assures, ' In place of your fathers shall be your sons'. Although the requirement for marriage is a giving up and forgetting of the previous way of life, the promise is for fruitfulness and prosperity. Is not the same true if you desire to become a follower of God and part of the bride of Christ?!

If you follow God and are ‘all in’, then you too will prosper in His kingdom. Your life will be fruitful and splendid if you live to serve and honour Jesus. Yet you too have to turn away from the things that have previously been important in your life. Things need to change and your reliance given over to the groom if you are to be a successful wife. God desires you to be part of His kingdom, but are you prepared to make the sacrifices that are required? It is tough, so you should, ‘consider, and incline your ear’. The requirement is that you 'forget your people and your father’s house’. Those that you once depended upon for love, guidance, fun and fulfilment cannot have the same level of influence any more if you are living as a follower of God. If you have decided to become the bride of Christ then your focus and your priority is your groom, Jesus. Everything else needs to be in light of that. If there are relationships that do not honour your union with God then you need to ‘forget’ them. This is painful. The psalmist recognises this, and this is why they call the bride to ‘consider’ the reality of becoming a bride. However the benefits of becoming a bride far outweigh the sacrifices that you’ll need to make, but it is still a life change and one you should be realistic about.

When you see your groom, what do you see? 

His; beauty, majesty, splendour, grace, meekness, righteousness, power, honesty, courage, victory and riches? If you decide to live your life with Jesus, you are partnering with one who has all of these attributes. Would you like to be meaningfully partnered with someone like that? If so, consider the things that you need to exchange in your life in order to become a faithful bride of Christ, and then enter into a relationship with God in, ‘joy and gladness’. A wedding is a celebration, a joyful and happy occasion. Yes it signifies difference and an ending of a previous life, but the promise is that you will leave a legacy that can impact the generations to come when you invest in your relationship with the King of heaven.

Is God's reputation on the line?

 Psalm 31:1–24 (ESV): 

1  In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; 

let me never be put to shame; 

in your righteousness deliver me! 

2  Incline your ear to me; 

rescue me speedily! 

Be a rock of refuge for me, 

a strong fortress to save me! 

3  For you are my rock and my fortress; 

and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; 

4  you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, 

for you are my refuge. 

5  Into your hand I commit my spirit; 

you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. 

6  I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, 

but I trust in the Lord. 

7  I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, 

because you have seen my affliction; 

you have known the distress of my soul, 

8  and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; 

you have set my feet in a broad place. 

9  Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; 

my eye is wasted from grief; 

my soul and my body also. 

10  For my life is spent with sorrow, 

and my years with sighing; 

my strength fails because of my iniquity, 

and my bones waste away. 

11  Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, 

especially to my neighbours, 

and an object of dread to my acquaintances; 

those who see me in the street flee from me. 

12  I have been forgotten like one who is dead; 

I have become like a broken vessel. 

13  For I hear the whispering of many— 

terror on every side!— 

as they scheme together against me, 

as they plot to take my life. 

14  But I trust in you, O Lord; 

I say, “You are my God.” 

15  My times are in your hand; 

rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! 

16  Make your face shine on your servant; 

save me in your steadfast love! 

17  O Lord, let me not be put to shame, 

for I call upon you; 

let the wicked be put to shame; 

let them go silently to Sheol. 

18  Let the lying lips be mute, 

which speak insolently against the righteous 

in pride and contempt. 

19  Oh, how abundant is your goodness, 

which you have stored up for those who fear you 

and worked for those who take refuge in you, 

in the sight of the children of mankind! 

20  In the cover of your presence you hide them 

from the plots of men; 

you store them in your shelter 

from the strife of tongues. 

21  Blessed be the Lord, 

for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me 

when I was in a besieged city. 

22  I had said in my alarm, 

“I am cut off from your sight.” 

But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy 

when I cried to you for help. 

23  Love the Lord, all you his saints! 

The Lord preserves the faithful 

but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. 

24  Be strong, and let your heart take courage, 

all you who wait for the Lord! 

This psalm seems to be a prayer of a disordered, troubled mind. One who is in imminent danger and is trying to figure out what to do and desperate for help. Urgently seeking God in the midst of the ‘terror on every side’. It appears that outside circumstances and internal thoughts are producing a time of great disturbance for the writer. For example at the start of the psalm it says, ‘Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! 3 For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me’. Asking God for refuge and protection, yet also knowing that God provides it shows the distress and disordered nature of his mind. David needs to know security and protection and so is asking God for it, yet he also knows that God IS those things already. What a natural, heart-felt response to a time of desperation and attack. David knows who God is and asking for Him to be who he knows He is, because at the present moment he is threatened and hounded and struggling to see God’s protection, guidance, security, and strength. This whole psalm demonstrates clearly the disordered, rushed prayer of desperation. Don't you find it comforting to have this written to know that it is ok when we pray the same way?! When you find circumstances overwhelming and distressing, it’s ok to speak out even if it seems jumbled. God can make sense of it and hears your heart. 

David flits from; calling for rescue to knowing God rescues, trusting in God, talking about how terrified he is, requesting God’s grace and acknowledging His goodness. This shows the devoted love of God that David has. Even when he is surrounded by enemies, is terrified and weak, he still acknowledges the presence of God and seeks Him for his rescue. David does not accuse God of having caused the situation or say that God has run off and left him. He still knows God is his refuge and rock. it is just David is aware that he is struggling to see that right now because of the turmoil and danger he is in. 

Yet, even in his terror and desperation David acknowledges that, ‘for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me’. David still trusts and looks to God for the way to go, the way to respond and live. He knows that God does and will guide him because David trusts in Him and God will help because God’s reputation is on the line if He doesn’t! As a known, committed follower of God, David recognises that God will be glorified through this situation. Are you aware of that in the midst of chaos and distress? That whatever is happening now is not the end of the story, but restoration and the glorification of God is waiting to be revealed?! What an expectation and assurance David has of God’s intervention, and of his standing with God. David has shown his commitment to following God in many different circumstances. He does so when things are going well and when things aren’t because even when situations change God doesn’t. God is still good, loving, strong, secure and helpful no matter what you are facing. Accepting this truth and trusting in Him as David does is the reality of living life as a follower of God. Being a committed christian means accepting the nature of God through every circumstance of life, leaning into Him, trusting and obeying Him even when it looks like life as you have known it is over. Then you too can build the same level of trust and dependence on God that David has. You can still be assured that even in the most terrible of situations that God will do you good for His name’s sake. 

So, consider the faith you have. Are you committed and assured of God's relevance and presence in all circumstances?  Are you living knowing that God’s reputation could be on the line if He does not rescue you from a time of trouble and distress? Will God restore you for his 'names sake'? Clearly God did rescue David. Later in the psalm he says, ‘The Lord preserves the faithful’. David’s dedication to following God paid off - he survived, was rescued and strengthened because he remained faithful. Do you remain faithful to God when the going gets tough? 

God rewards the committed, faithful follower, 'how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you' God will reward those who are loyalty and dedicated to Him. Not only will he rescue and protect you from trouble, but He will also share his goodness with you which he has even 'stored up'! How kind of God is that?! The question is, are you living in such a way to receive God's goodness and to expect His glorification in and through your life?

Are you a hearer or a doer?

As we start our reflection today, I am just going to recap some of the things James has covered so far in the first part of his letter;

• Withstanding the trials and temptations of life help you develop steadfastness. 
• As you grow in steadfastness you demonstrate your love for God and are on your way to gaining the crown of life. 
• There are things you need to watch out for that can overwhelm you and get you off track causing you not to show or live in the goodness of God. 
• Anger is not holy.
• Communication is an important way in which you can show the righteous life you have as a child of God. 

These points seem simple and logical, yet it does not seem so simple implementing them into everyday life does it? I struggle with it, especially that last one - being more considered in how I communicate. That is a constant effort and I know don’t live up to the standard of righteousness in each conversation. How are you doing? Have you made progress as you have been pondering this letter of James? It is ok if you find it hard, but are you endeavouring to lead a more righteous life?

James 1:22-25;

be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. *23*For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. *24*For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. *25*But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. 

The things God has been teaching you, have you put them into practice? Or have you just looked at it, heard it and walked away? That is what James is challenging us within these verses. If you know that God has been pinpointing a certain behaviour, mindset or sin, and you realise that you haven’t got something quite in line with God’s expectations, then you need to sort it out. Not eventually, not when it is convenient, at a different time in life, but now. Otherwise you’re like someone who forgets what they look like. You are like someone who has gained insight into who they are and then just walked away. There’s no point reading and studying the Bible, praying, or going to church if you are not implementing what you reading, hearing and seeing. If you ignore what God and others are teaching you then you are ‘deceiving yourselves’, forgetting who you are. Faith in God requires action. Some people read the Bible diligently, study and investigate scripture, turn up to events and prayer meetings but remain completely unchanged. Why? Because they have no interest in putting it into practice, maybe because they are comfortable or it is too much like hard work. Don’t be one of those. They have forgotten what they look like. They don't know who they are or who they could be. God wants more for you and from you.

If someone reads the Bible, prays and carries on as they are without any change, it is like someone reading a car manual. It is pointless doing so unless you’re going to do what the manual says. It would be a waste of time and certainly won’t help the smooth running of the car. Ignoring the advice within the manual would be ignorant and could cause long-term damage. The same is true for how you handle the Bible. If you ignore what it says, don't implement the advice and instructions given then you are not living the best life you can, and that can cause long-term damage. 

These verses tell us the Bible is, ‘the perfect law, the law of liberty’. So, if you ignore it you are desiring imperfection and restriction in your life. Whereas if you challenge yourself to do as the Word of God says you will be following the perfect law and learning to live in freedom. Not only that, but the promise is that you ‘will be blessed’ by persevering and putting into practice what God is teaching you. If you seek to live a righteous, God-honouring life, it requires action. Being a follower of Jesus requires you to, 'be doers of the word, and not hearers only'.