Taylor Jensen, Author at Fireplace Faith

You have always heard about being "the Bride of Christ," but honestly, it's kind of weird and doesn't make sense. Isn't it just a cute analogy? Does it really matter? Many believe it does not, and they miss out on one of the most significant revelations the Lord can give someone. In this post, we will talk about how thinking like a Bride of Christ can change your entire life. When I got married, Laurel and I had a moment when we gave our vows. It was the most beautiful part of the wedding. Picture with me for a moment a groom giving his vows to his bride at a wedding ceremony. Pretend that he begins his my vows and says, "I vow to not cheat on you and not to commit adultery, even if I find someone I like better. " Awkward tension fills the crowd. The bride looks concerned. He keeps going, completely oblivious. "I promise not to go get drunk with my friends. I promise not to stay out late with my bros." What is going on? This is so wrong. In this pretend scenario, He is making his vows about everything that he is saying no to instead of everything that he is saying yes to in marriage. It is true. He won't stay up late with the brochachos anymore, and yes, he is saying no to every woman on the planet forever. But this is understood and doesn't need to be mentioned. The loss that he is giving up is so tiny compared to what he gets! The joy of the yes is so much greater that He shouldn't even be thinking of the no! Any man should happily say no to the bachelor lifestyle and the other women because he gets to forever commit to the one his heart adores! We understand this with marriage, but what if we thought like this about our relationship with Christ? Thinking like a Bride of Christ changes how we view everything. 1. It Changes Your View of Christ Isaiah 54:5 For your Maker is your husband... Many believe that Christianity is a bunch of rules, and Jesus is a rule maker. The issue here is the same as above. We focus on everything we cannot do as Christians, rather than everything they get by marrying Christ. Like someone who wakes up years into marriage and forgot why they ever got married, many of us get so focused on the disciplines of Christianity that we forget why we fell in love with Christ in the first place. The Christian faith is not about rules, and it is not about sin. It is about marriage with Jesus. The disciplines of our faith are empty unless they cultivate a romance with Christ. If you speak to couples who have been married for many years, they will tell you that they have to discipline themselves to keep their romance alive. I keep the disciplines of prayer, reading the bible, and worship to keep the romance alive. Christ is not my task manager. He is my spouse. 2. It Changes Your View of Sin In a committed relationship, you genuinely don't want to hurt your partner. Why? Because you love them. You don't walk around all day trying "not" to cheat on them. Your love for them keeps you from cheating. Yet, so many of us have reduced the Christian faith to walking around all day trying "not to sin." When you view yourself as the bride, you're view of sin changes. You realize that sin is not breaking a rule; it is breaking God's heart. Sin is when we cheat on God. I try not to sin, not because I am afraid of breaking the rules or going to hell. I try not to sin because I don't want to break his heart! God is committed to us more than the most faithful spouse in the world. When we sin, it hurts his heart, but as a committed spouse, he will work with you through it. But when God says to do or not to do something, He isn't saying, "Do this, or I'm sending you to hell!" but rather, "when you do that, it hurts my heart and our relationship." Holiness is a byproduct of being in love. When I love him, I want to bless his heart. I become holy by pursuing his heart more. Focusing on sin will never produce holiness. Only focusing on loving Christ can do that. 3. It Changes How You View Provisions When Laurel and I get married, our bank accounts merge. My money and my debt become her money and her debt. It is now one. If Laurel had $500,000, I would be stoked because now I have 500k as well! If I were in debt, 50 grand, not only would all my debt be gone, but I would now have 450k more in my account! When we say yes to Jesus, we merge bank accounts with Jesus. Not only is all your sin and debt forgiven, but you get access to the bank account of Jesus! What do you need in life? Does Jesus have that in his bank account? Then you have it too! This is why he is adamant about us not worrying about our needs because he says he will provide for them. This concept does not end at finances but applies to emotional and physical provision as well! Enjoying this Post? Let's Get Connected! JTNDc2NyaXB0JTIwc3JjJTNEaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZmaXJlcGxhY2UtZmFpdGgubXlrYWphYmkuY29tJTJGZm9ybXMlMkYyMTQ4MjMyMjY3JTJGZW1iZWQuanMlM0UlM0MlMkZzY3JpcHQlM0U 4. It Changes How You View Yourself Do you know that once married, my spouse can purchase things on my behalf? She has the same card I have now, and when she decides to buy something, it as though I bought that same thing. In other words, my authority and purchase power become her authority and purchasing power. She can say I am Taylor's wife, so in "the Name of Taylor," I'm going to buy this. It is the same with you and Christ. Jesus can heal the sick, calm the storms, prophesy over people, and cast out demons. Then he turns to his bride and says, "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father." John 14:12 You can do greater works than Jesus! That sounds blasphemous, and yet it was Jesus himself who said that! You can do all of it "In the Name of Jesus," and it carries the authority of Jesus. This is why when we pray for healing, we can say, "in Jesus' name be healed," and it happens. It has nothing to do with our abilities, but the abilities of the one we married. It is because we now carry his name and his authority. 5. It Changes How You View Eternity When I get married, my wife will move into my home. When we marry Jesus, we get to move into his house, which is heaven. No other woman can move in with me but my wife. No other religion can move in with Jesus but his bride. This is why "good people" don't go to heaven, but saved people do. It doesn't matter how amazing a woman is. If she isn't my wife, she isn't living with me. In the same way, you could be the best person on the planet, but if you do not want Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, then you can't move into his home. If I grabbed someone who didn't want to marry me and forced them to live in my house, that would be called kidnapping. God will not kidnap someone. God gives our whole lives to marry him, and some people say, "no, I do not want to marry you, God," and it breaks his heart, but he will honor their decision. This is why hell is filled with both good people and bad people. Because it is not about rules, sin, or actions, it is a relationship you choose to have. Matthew 7: 22Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!' People will stand at the gates of heaven and say, "Wait, I'm a good person, Jesus, I know you! And Jesus will say, You aren't my bride, and so you can't come live here." This puts a fire in my heart to tell people about Christ even more! That he longs to live with them for Eternity, and he is proposing! But it is their decision. We get so much more by marrying Christ! I can't help but think, how would the world change if every Christian truly believed they were the Bride of Christ? As you go throughout your week, intentionally think like a Bride of Christ and watch how it will change everything for you. What Do You Think? How does thinking like "the Bride of Christ" change our lives?

Taylor Jensen

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