God wants a Bride, not a Maid

My friend, Aletha Hinthorn, sends a daily devotional email. She wrote this morning that God is looking for worshippers, not workers. He wants His Bride to be a bride to Him. He wants us to spend time with Him. Take delight in Him.

As I read those words, the thought came to me, "God wants a bride. Not a maid." 

We are created for relationship, a divine marriage relationship, and it's precious beyond all belief. 

As I've mentioned before, I'm currently writing an in-depth study on Hosea. It's entirely too big a project for me. It means long hours at my computer, many hours studying Scripture, and reading more commentaries than I thought possible. 

It's hard work.

It's also glorious work, and I'm so grateful to be doing it. 

When I sit down with the book of Hosea, I pray for fresh eyes to see it the way God wants it seen. When I begin to type, I pray to have God's words and not my own. It's a precious time because He actually gives me fresh eyes and His words. It's hard to comprehend how miraculous that is. Truly miraculous.

My relationship with God is never sweeter than when I write for Him.

Yesterday, I finished editing the first chapter on the Hosea story, read through it again, and saved it as a draft on the new blog. When the Bible study participants make it through this, they'll have done an amazing bit of work. I'm so proud of them, I thought, and I began to weep. 

I wept for the people who would participate and how God would touch and change their lives, for the wonder that God would use someone like me to do a job like this.

Being the bride of God Himself is more amazing than we realize. He has greater plans for us, bigger adventures in which we can participate, than we can ever imagine. 

Being a bride instead of a maid means we do things together, as brides and grooms do. When I write, I write with Him. When I do good deeds in His name, I do them as a team of two. 

Today, let's pause long enough to reflect on the wonder of the Divine Marriage and our role in it. 

As the bride of Christ, work in tandem today, heart to Heart with our Bridegroom, the Lover of Our Souls.

"And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me 'My Husband'... Hosea 2:16 esv

"And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord." Hosea 2:20 nasb

"For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth." Isaiah 54:5 nasb

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#brideofChrist #faith #Jesus #linesfromleanna