You will one day realize that the very relationship you longed for, you already had. You were loved deeply with an everlasting love, and your Prince was waiting with His arms open.
Marriage on earth is only a picture of the spiritual relationship that the Lord wants to have with every one of us. Anything we desire in marriage, we have completely in the Lord. We long for someone who loves us, understands us, listens to us, provides for us, protects us, cares for us --is crazy about us! God gives these desires. Don't you think the One who instills the desires knows how to fulfill them? In every one of these ways, the Lord is far more able to meet our needs than anyone on earth ever could.
An Earthly Picture
Here is a partial list of the ways that the marriage relationship parallels and pictures the relationship God designed for us to have with Christ:
1. Both relationships are permanent .
2. Both are intimate.
3. Both require waiting - waiting for a wedding, waiting for Christ's return.
4. Both are based on love and commitment.
5. In both, the two become one - husband and wife become one flesh; those who are saved
become members of Christ's body (Eph. 5:29-31, Jn. 17:21).
6. Both are covenants and formed by vows.
Marriage - "I do"
Salvation- "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus" "(Rom. 10:9)
7. Both are exclusive.
They are not shared by another- no adultery, no idolatry.
8. Both have a starting moment.
When you are born into the world, you are neither married nor saved. Marriage requires a
ceremony; salvation requires a decision.
9. Both relationships make us complete.
10. Both have a wedding/marriage supper- a wedding banquet on earth, the marriage supper of the
lamb in heaven (Rev. 19)
11. Both are sealed with a sign-marriage with a ring, salvation with the Holy Spirit.
12. Both have an authority structure, a head to the relationship to whom the other desires to submit-
the wife submits to her husband as the believer submits to Christ.
13. In both, even though there is an authority structure, the relationship is based on a friendship- "I
have called you friends' (Jn. 15:15)
14. In both, the groom must leave his home. Christ left His Father in order to come to earth and win
His bride. A man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife. (Eph. 5:31)
15. In both relationships, the head is the initiator.
16. Both require sacrificial love on the part of the head.
A husband is commanded to love as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it (Eph. 5:25).
17. In both, the head is the provider and the protector.
18. In both, the husband prepares a residence - a man provides a home on earth, Christ provides a
home in heaven.
19. In both relationships, the bride becomes beautiful by a submissive spirit and inner qualities of
godliness ( 1 Pet. 3:1-6).
20. In both, the bride's exclusive desire is to please and serve her head.
21. In both, the bride becomes radiant with joy.
22. Both relationships grow sweeter with time.
23. In both relationships, each owns the other. "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine" (Song of
Sol. 6:3. 1 Cor. 7:4).
24. In both relationships, each fills the other's heart (ps. 139:17-18, Col. 1:27).
25. Both relationships provide a "satisfaction" that can be found nowhere else. We are satisfied by a relationship with God and by being in His presence. Likewise, we are satisfied by our spouse, even just by being in their presence. *1
How to Fall in Love With Jesus
When you first meet a guy what do you want to do? Of course!
Get to Know Him- When a couple are in love they want to learn as much as possible about the other. They love and want to share every part of their day with one another. They are suddenly interested in the other person's interests and want to be apart of every moment in each others life.
Seek the Lord. Get to know His interests and what He hates. Be interested in the things He tells you. He delights in your prayers and is concerned about the smallest details of your life.
Spend time with Him- When two people are in love they never want to be separated. They look for ways to be together. They sacrifice all interests and time with friends to spend time together. When we want to fall in love with Jesus its the same way. We need to spend time with Him daily ALONE, with no interruptions. We have to make an effort to spend time with Him.
Love Him and Tell Him So Daily- Everyone who is in love wants to hear the proclamation of love returned. Tell Him He is first place in your life and remind Him often of your love and desire to be loyal to Him. Yes, He already knows but He like to hear it anyways. Right ladies? We definitely understand that.
Demonstrate Your Love by Your Actions- When a lady is in love she wants to please the one in whom she delights. Her life is centered around ,making him successful. Her own ambitions are lost in her desire to serve him. If we truly love Him, we will obey His commandments. We will joyfully pour out our lives for His sake, and our deepest desire will be to bring Him glory.
Tell Others About His Greatness- A bride-to-be has trouble talking about anything else besides her fiancé. His name seems to come up in every conversation. After you've spent a little time with her, you feel that you've heard everything there is to hear about this amazing person whom she loves.
Well, we have a lot of exciting information to share about the One who has won our heart! Tell of the Lord's greatness. Declare what He has done for you. Remind others of Christ's credentials. Be excited when you talk of Him! Seek to turn focus of every conversation to the Lord. If others speak badly of Him, be quick to defend Him. "My mouth shall show forth Thy righteousness and Thy salvation all the day." (Psalms 71:15)
There are so many more ways! I suggest reading the book "Before You Meet Prince Charming "by Sarah Mally.
Delight in the Lord-
Think of all you dreams for a future relationship. Small things, big things. For example: sending good morning or goodnight texts, receiving flowers, spending time together, sharing your dreams for the future, holding hands, etc.. These are just small little pleasures in a relationship but guess what? God wants to do all this with you right now. He wants you to greet Him with a good morning and a goodnight prayer, He sends you flowers of blessings every day, He wants to spend time with you every second of the day by talking to you throughout the day, He wants you to share your dreams with Him, and He holds your hand every second of every day. He never lets go, He holds on tighter as we go through struggles, gives us a squeeze when we need encouragement to go on. If you think like this: you will be blessed by a great relationship with the Lord. So quit pouting and saying you wish you were in a relationship, or had someone to lean on during the hard times, or to hold your hand, or someone to love. YOU DO! You have every bit of that and MORE right now. Christ is the ultimate Prince Charming. He is my true love. Is He yours?
Memory Verse:
"Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Psalms 37:4
*1. Mally, Sarah. Before you meet Prince Charming: a guide to radiant purity. Cedar Rapids, IA: Tomorrows Forefathers, 2009. Print. chap. eleven.
