Sunday, March 27, 2011
SCRIPTURE READING
Luke 14:33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
Yikes! This seems like a harsh verse, it’s fun to talk about the love of Jesus and to grow in learning to love Him more, but this verse reminds us of another element of being a Bride. The Bride does not remain living at home with her parents, she must leave her past behind and move in with her Bridegroom, after the wedding. In the same way, we are called to put our pasts behind us, to remove all past loves and distractions. For some, this may be the hurt that they have been holding onto, for others; it’s the distractions of career, entertainment, media or recreation. If you want to be the Bride of Christ, you must be concerned with more than simply escaping hell. You must live your life in such a way that you are solely focused on being His Bride. Are you counting the cost as you prepare to be united to Him? Or are you going to give Him mere lip service after the wedding? Have you started a commitment you're not willing to finish? Or does your mind wander back to things of your past - old friends, old habits, old loves? If you commit to this marriage, you must not only leave your past behind - you must completely forsake it!
PRAYER & MEDITATION
1. Ask the Lord to show you any past loves that you are holding on to. This could be entertainment, recreation, career, friends, habits, hurts or fears, etc. Confess that you have placed these things above Him.
2. Ask the Lord to reveal to you if there are any commitments that you have made to Him that you haven’t finished. Spend some time praying about how you are to finish that commitment.
3. Pray that you will learn to leave your past behind so that you can fully embrace Him on your “wedding” day. Ask Him to empower you to walk out your commitments and to keep you from wandering back to old ways.
