Glory in Persecution

 We have been taught that the days would come when Christians will be persecuted for their

beliefs, no matter their Christian religion, and they have. Christians have been persecuted in some countries for decades, and even longer, but in far worse ways than we can imagine. In the U.S., my own religion has seen much persecution in the past, and though it slackened through the years, it never truly stopped. But neither has the Lord's work.

However, there is a persecution problem going on now that should never be.

Sadly, that problem is Christians persecuting other Christians.

To call ourselves true Christians means we are followers of Jesus Christ. It means we believe in Christ, we worship Him, and we look on Him as our Savior and Redeemer. It means that, though we aren't perfect, we are devoted to walking in His ways and obeying His commandments.

I can't help wondering what Christ thinks when He witnesses religions that are supposedly Christian bashing each other because of differences in our beliefs. This is the time when Christians - no matter our beliefs - need to be drawing closer and supporting one another, not in judgement or persecution, but in love. We should be united in our mutual love for the Savior, and that love should carry over to each other. When we persecute one another, we are allowing Satan to use us in his attempt to thwart the work of the Lord, thereby casting aside the influence of the Lord's spirit in our lives.

The day is fast approaching when EVERY knew will bow and EVERY tongue will confess that Jesus is the Christ. I pray that it will not be a day of grudging, but one of pure realization that we are all Children of God, and we are all loved beyond measure.

The Lord is in charge and He will judge accordingly. How grateful I am for that!

To Be His Bride

 Over the past while, I have learned so much about what it truly means to be the "Bride of Christ" and

what it means to fall completely and irrevocably in Love with the Lord - to fall so in love with Him that He and the Father have become the center of everything in my life. I tell the Lord frequently, "I love You so much, and I want to be completely lost in You. I want my whole heart to belong to You. Please hold me close and don't ever let me go."

That is how I feel every minute of the day!

In Hebrew marriages, when the groom's offer is accepted by the woman, she then becomes his bride. Once that happens, she is no longer of her old house. She prepares herself, says goodbye to her old life, and gets ready to move on to a better home.

She is called the Shalom Bride. She has been brought up to one day leave the house she was raised in for a new permanent home, forever attaching herself to the groom.

When we say goodbye to Babylon and the things of the world, we are accepting the bride price the Lord has offered - and paid - and we are preparing ourselves for the coming of the Bridegroom. We are preparing ourselves for our marriage to Him, and the world is no longer our home. When He finally arrives, the marriage will take place and we will be taken to a far better home, one that is more glorious than we can imagine.

But are we truly ready to say goodbye to the things of this world?

Are we willing to say goodbye to our worldly aspirations, our old self, our egos? Are we willing to let go of pride, vain and foolish traditions, worldly possessions, and desires of the flesh? Can we leave worldly burdens behind and let go of our past life. We MUST let go of all of these things in order to fully accept the price that the Savior has paid for us.

To fully accept Him, we must turn away from everything that is not of Him. We must turn away and never look back. We must long for the Lord more than we've longed for anything. Only the things of Him should be precious to us. Only the things that lead us to Him should we treasure.

In Hebrew, not only does shalom mean goodbye, it means hello, too! And every time we say goodbye to things of this world, we are saying hello to the things of heaven. Each and every worldly thing we let go makes room for bridal gifts that the Lord is just waiting to give us when He comes for US, His bride.

And oh, how I long for, and look forward to, my wedding day!

Happy Sabbath!