Aim to be a part of the bride of the Lamb
Some folks want to be rich. Others want to be powerful. Yet others want to be famous. Some want to make it into the ‘most beautiful people’ list, or be a marine or a navy seal.
What’s your goal?
To be one of the above, you have to have certain skills or assets. For example, you cannot make it into the list of ‘the most beautiful people’ if you were born ugly. Or, you can’t be an NBA player if you are less than three feet tall.
Throughout human history, depending on when and where you were born, your life was constrained in certain ways. For example, if you were born to a Jew a few decades before Moses, you were destined to be a slave to the Egyptians. As a result, your choices were limited.
Similarly, if you were born an African American in the USA somewhere between the 18th and early 20th century, the color of your skin constrained where you ate and lived and worked.
However, when it comes to spiritual things, no one human being has an advantage over another. We are all tempted in the same way, and we all have predispositions to one weakness of the flesh or another. But what’s most wonderful about this equality is that we can all be a part of the bride of the Lamb. There is no partiality with God, and the Lamb does not choose His bride based on anything that is not under our control.
From the eternal perspective, nothing is more desirable than being a part of the bride of the Lamb.
For this reason, there is really no reason to complain about whether you were born rich or poor, smart or dumb, black or white or brown or red or yellow, attractive or ugly, athletic or not. All these things don’t matter. They don’t matter because they don’t enhance or diminish your chances of being a part of the bride of the Lamb.
There is nothing more exclusive than being a part of the bride of the Lamb, nothing more wonderful. Your goal, therefore, should be to be a part of the bride of the Lamb.
The bride of the Lamb, described mostly in the last few chapters of the book of Revelation are the select few who were so fascinated by Jesus that they made it their top priority to become like Him. Everything else took second place. They were willing to sacrifice everything to become like Jesus.
As a result, they will be in the presence of God forever, and will reign with the Lamb forever.
Here is how the bride is described in Rev 14:1-5.
Rev 14:1-5 1 Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. 4 These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.
In God’s eyes, the bride of the Lamb is like a set of precious jewels. In Revelation 21, when the angel shows John the bride of the Lamb, he shows John the New Jerusalem, having the glory of God. And in it are precious jewels of different types. It is as if God is saying that, to Him, the bride of the Lamb is like a set of precious jewels that will adorn the New Jerusalem.
In eternity, life for the bride is going to be very pleasurable because they will be in God presence forever, and in His presence there is fullness of joy, and in His right hand are pleasures forever.
Ps 16:11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
You wouldn’t want to miss being there, would you?
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