Living In Abundance Series
Have you ever got dressed up in your finest to attend or to participate in that most spectacular social event? Maybe it was a wedding—your wedding. The bride and the groom are “deck out” in all splendor; and everybody’s eyes are admiring their attire. In all cultures around the world, we take extra time and care when dressing up for marriage.
Well, do you know that Jesus is the Groom and you are His bride? And for the men, do not interpret these words literally. We are conversing on the soul level here. Spiritually interpreted, the words “married to the Bridegroom Jesus” mean that both men and women who believe in Jesus are one with the Lord and, therefore, are displayed like a bride, His human counterpart on earth. The Bridegroom covers the nakedness of His bride.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, . . . . (Ephesians 5:25, 27a).
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Revelation 21:2).
This is a mystery to be understood as this: A born-again soul is part of the body of the Church, not a physical building where we enter to worship, but a spiritual temple that is to glorify the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:16). A newborn baby comes into the world naked and must be clothed. A newborn soul must also be clothed so that God can present it to Himself.
So let’s give thanks, shall we, that what Jesus did for us on the cross covers any naked part of our lives. And that is why we must be grateful.
Gratitude is a feeling that cannot fully be explained but is so deep within that, on the surface, it looks like singing and dancing, throwing up our hands or kneeling down (even laying down) on the floor in tears of . . . joy! Our souls are overflowing with the awe and wonder of what God has done for us in our lives that we must give Him praise!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! (Psalm 150:6).
Keep this in mind: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Isaiah: 61:3c,d: To give them the garment of praise and the oil of joy . . . . Praise seeps out from a heart (a renewed soul) of pure joy for what God has done and is doing in your life. It does not come from the outside, but from deep within. It has no attachments to the earthly world, but it commands the tools of abundance to come to you physically as you walk by faith, not by sight, praying without ceasing.
What are grateful to the Lord for? For me, I could have been dead seven times (in my counting, perhaps more in God’s view) but God has kept me alive. Why? I am overwhelmed by His answer. My life is for His great testimony. Maybe for you, God has healed you from a dreadful disease, or has delivered a loved one or friend out of tragedy. The list of what God does for His children is infinite. And it cannot be stopped!
Living in abundance automatically gets you in the habit of appreciating everything (small and big) that others do for you and what God does for you. He uses people to bring your blessings, and He uses your faith in Him to deliver your miracles straight to the open door of your life. This great gratitude fills your soul with singing and opens your mouth to praise Him, praise Him, praise Him, praise Him—Jesus, blessed Savior—You’re worthy to be praised!
Praising the Lord clothes you like a most beautiful wedding dress or tuxedo. No more nakedness but awesome admiration. Get in the habit of praising the Lord even through the pain; and marvel at what He’ll do next.
King David is described as a man of war. He met difficult times when enemies hunted for him and even his ‘father’ King Saul despised him. But through it all, he wrote most of the Psalms in the Bible. How did he get the gumption to do that? King David was also described as a “man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22) because he remembered all the victories, all the blessings, God bestowed upon him; and his soul automatically gave praise.
Dear Christian, you may be going through adversity or hard times right now; but count the victories and blessings of your life up to now. Then sing praise to the Lord. You’ll come out this darkness into a light so bright that your adversaries won’t be able to shoot looks of rejection anymore, but rather be blinded by the glorious goodness and mercy of Lord following you all the days of your abundant life!
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5b). It’s your daybreak, a new morning, and the joy of the Lord is your strength, your grace, to get dressed in preparation of enjoying your wedding!
See you in next week’s blog. I’ll be the one carrying your second garment!
© 2020 by Patience Osei-Anyamesem. All rights reserved. Published by The Liight In Me Enterprise. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews or other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Unless otherwise stated, all scripture quotations are from The New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Take My Hand Inspirations
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