Are You Prepared To Be The Bride Of Christ?

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself.” ~ Revelations 19:7

The Bible tells us that Jesus is coming back to take us, His followers, home (John 14:1-3). Jesus is called our “royal bridegroom,” and we, therefore, are His bride (Click here to read what the Bible says about the Bride of Christ). Becoming the bride of Christ, however, involves more than just saying yes to following Jesus. It requires a life transformation, and a heart preparation.

Jesus is coming back to take His followers, His bride, back with Him. Are you prepared to be the bride of Christ?

Lately the Lord has been stirring in my heart to be prepared for His return. To be very honest with you, I have never thought about the meaning of being the bride of Christ. However, recently the Holy Spirit began to impress on my heart that on the day of the “wedding feast of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:7-9), I will be accountable for myself only. I will stand alone before God Almighty, and every thought, every action, every motive of my heart and every act of obedience will be recognized. 1 Peter 1:17b tells us, “He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.”

Only God the Father knows when Jesus will return. No one, not even Jesus or the angels of God know when the exact time of Jesus’s return will be. I know that many believe we are living in the end times now. It certainly feels like we are. Yet I, personally, want to just hold on to the word of God which says, ““However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows” (Matthew 24:36).

We must anticipate that Jesus could return today and we must be prepared!

So…how to prepare to be the bride of Christ? Hebrews 12:14 helps us answer this: “Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.” As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to holy living. This doesn’t mean we will be perfect, because we never will be, this side of heaven. It does, however, mean that we strive towards holiness because God is holy, and He wants that from us, His children (1 Peter 1:13-16).

Here are some questions to ask yourself as a way to prepare yourself to be an unblemished bride, worthy of the Lord’s union.

1. Am I reading God’s word daily, spending quality time in the secret place, nurturing my relationship with Jesus?

This is the absolute most important thing we need to be concerned with. Where is my walk with the Lord? Do I spend time in confession, in listening prayer, seeking Him on His will for my life? These questions will help you to stay pure before God. More than anything, God desires for you to have an intimate and personal relationship with His son, Jesus (John 17:3).

Make sure your friendship with Jesus is your number one priority.

When we make the Lord our everything, then we will live for Him and His kingdom here on earth.

2. How well do I love others?

Our highest calling is to walk in love. John 13:34-35 makes it clear: “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” Do I treat people with kindness and empathy, or am I quick to judge and criticize? Remember, God sees us and we can’t hide even our thoughts from Him. Our biggest test is how we love those that are hard to love.

It’s easy to love those I love, but how do I handle the “unlovables” in my life?

Loving others well includes not holding onto an offense, being understanding, forgiving, not being critical and not harboring negative thoughts about someone. We must always try to see the good in everyone. Every single human being is a creation of God, and He loves them. Ask God for His heart for those that are more challenging for you.

When I gave my heart to Jesus in 2002, I heard a song by Hillsong called Hosanna, and the Holy Spirit used two lines in this song to touch my heart in a powerful way. I had been so moved by the Lord’s love for me that I wanted to share it with the world. I made these verses a prayer: “Show me how to love like You have loved me. Break my heart for what breaks Yours” Maybe you would want to pray these words as well?

3. How is my prayer life?

Do I cry out to the Lord only when I need Him? Or am I doing as God desires, and “never stop praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)? This means praying throughout the day. Prayer is simply conversation with God. He doesn’t need our prayers, but He desires them because it cultivates relationship with Him.

God is a relational God and He desires your companionship.

One of my favorite parables in the Bible is the Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8). Jesus told his disciples this story to show the importance of prayer. He said that we should always pray and never give up. At the end, in verse 8, Jesus asks a poignant question, “…But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” How about you? Are you praying by faith, believing in His faithfulness and power? May you and I be mighty people of prayer. People that pray day and night, and do not give up.

4. Do I have an attitude of gratitude or do I grumble and complain?

God wants us to be people of praise and thanksgiving. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” And Philippians 2:14 tells us to “Do everything without complaining and arguing…” The opposite of being grateful are individuals that grumble and complain about everything. How do you respond when things don’t go your way? I confess that often my first reaction to disappointments is not thanksgiving, but complaining. Pleasing my heavenly Father with a better attitude, is my goal. We are all a work in progress, and as long as we are striving to fight off our ungodly ways, I believe the Lord is pleased with us.

I want to be so faith filled that praise and thanksgiving would be the first thing out of my mouth when trials come my way.

This is honoring to God for He has told us, “…when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.”

These are four questions to meditate on if you’d like to be prepare yourself as Christs’ bride. We have to be intentional about being His pure bride. The blessing behind living life God’s way is that it will bring you so much peace and joy. I’m starting to understand why God wants us to live holy lives. It’s not so that we can be perfect people, but rather, it’s so that we can live the abundant life that Jesus died for us to live.

Jesus died on the cross so that we could live a life in freedom.

May our love for the Lord be so passionate that it will be a natural outflow that we would desire to prepare ourselves to be Christ’s pure bride. I want to please Him so that “Then God will rejoice over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride” (Isaiah 62:5). If we each do our individual part, then the entire church will be ready for Him when He returns. Hallelujah!

One that day, when the Church is presented to Jesus as His bride, everyone who believes in Him will feast together at the supper of the Lamb in heaven (Revelation 19:7-9). It will be the most glorious day and I don’t know about you, but I want to be prepared to be the bride of Christ. My hearts’ desire is to make my “royal husband” proud of me, His bride. I hope you have that desire as well.

“For your Maker is your husband—the LORD Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth” (Isaiah 54:5).

Photo of crown: Photo by Ashton Mullins on Unsplash

Photo of table by Stella de Smit on Unsplash