{"id":22024,"date":"2017-12-26T00:05:26","date_gmt":"2017-12-26T08:05:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=22024"},"modified":"2017-12-15T12:16:20","modified_gmt":"2017-12-15T20:16:20","slug":"december-26-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2017\/12\/26\/december-26-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"December 26, 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\u201cCome, I will show you the bride, the Lamb\u2019s wife.\u201d <\/em>Revelation 21:9<\/p>\n

Love Affair<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I have been married for 54 years. I have lived with one man from my youth. We have grown up together. We have grown old together.<\/p>\n

Our marriage wasn\u2019t always easy. Our marriage wasn\u2019t always fun. We have had horrific fights, said unkind words, and acted out of selfishness and stubbornness. But we never gave up on each other. We learned to love through thick and thin. We learned to nurture and attend to our relationship with each other. A good marriage doesn\u2019t just happen. Any deep and lasting relationship requires attention, nurture, and invested time.<\/p>\n

We are called the bride of Christ. Jesus is our Bridegroom. We are in a covenant, eternal relationship with the living God. This relationship above all others needs our time, our attention, and our willingness to nurture and deepen its bonds. I have seen those who don\u2019t invest in this dynamic relationship. Too often the passion pales and the ties that bind weaken. Soon it is hard to see any difference between these negligent lovers of the Lord and those in the world.<\/p>\n

The book of Hebrews instructs us to \u201cgive the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away\u201d<\/em> (Hebrews 2:1). The author asks us, \u201cHow shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation\u201d<\/em> (Hebrews 2:3)?<\/p>\n

Here are some tips from Hebrews in how not to neglect this relationship, how not to drift away:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Do not harden my heart (Hebrews 3:8). Keep my heart tender toward my Bridegroom.<\/li>\n
  • Do not be dull of hearing (Hebrews 5:11). Listen to all that He whispers to my heart.<\/li>\n
  • Do not insult the Spirit of grace (Hebrews 10:29). Remain a faithful bride to my one True Love.<\/li>\n
  • Run with endurance the race set before me (Hebrews 12:1). Trust and obey in all that my Beloved has called me to be and do.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The positive approach to this relationship keeps me invested in the reading and study of God\u2019s word. My desire to converse and connect with God beckons me to prayer before Him. My love for Him and His love for me calls me to worship. Relationship is expanded as I fellowship with other believers on a consistent basis. I am\u00a0motivated by my Lover’s grace gifts\u00a0to do the work of the\u00a0ministry to which\u00a0He has called me. I do good works that I might glorify Him. I give willingly because He has so lavished me with blessing and grace. I invest my time, my energies, and myself in God.<\/p>\n

    This is a living, daily, personal, infinite and intimate relationship. Give heed to it.<\/p>\n

    \u201cFather, You are worthy of our devotion. You are worthy of our time and attention. May our love grow ever deeper, ever sweeter until the day we see You face to face. Amen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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