“For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” – the apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 11:2)
“He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. – John the Baptist (John 3:29)
[At the Second Coming] “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” Revelation 19:7
To the redeemed bride of Christ,
(A biblical, devotional paraphrase)
I Love You Completely
Lovely bride, before you ever gave Me the time of day, I gave you the greatest expression of My love on the cross.[1] Not only did I suffer and die for your sins, I love you so much that I took you to the cross with Me! I crucified your old spirit man with Me. I did this so that you would die to sin and the law. I buried your old man. I then gave you a new spirit, joined you forever to Me, and raised you with Me as a new spiritual creation, married to Me, so that we might enjoy a love like none you have ever experienced before.
Since I have so showed My love for you through the cross, is there any reason to think that I, who am love, would not love you in every other way that you need Me to? I have filled the Bible with my words, “I love you.” The Bible is My love letter to you, telling you over and over again, “I love you!” In fact, I love you as much as My Father loves Me. My Father loves you that much, too! Could you ask for any greater love than this?
Now I long to enjoy your response to My outpouring of love for you at the cross and in your daily life. I long to have a warm, intimate relationship with you![2]
I Listen to You and Deeply Care for You
I alone am able to give you undivided attention because I am an infinite God. I can tend to everything in the universe and still give you all the attention you need. Please pray because I love to hear you talk to Me. You can even pray without ceasing in your spirit and I will never tire of listening to you. My thoughts toward you are precious and are more vast than the sand on the seashore. I am always thinking of you. I understand and care about your problems and hurts. Look at how I cared for hurting people during My earth walk. In the same way I care about your hurts. I was tempted in all things as you are and never sinned. I did feel the impact, though, and so I am your High Priest who sympathizes with all your weaknesses.
As I suffered on the cross, I bore your griefs and carried your sorrows. I have personal knowledge of your pain, so I urge you to cast all your cares on Me because I care for you. I have left problems in your life so you will see your need of Me and experience My care for you. So, I long for you to cast your burden on Me and I assure you that I will, in union with you, sustain you and never allow you to be shaken when you do. I assure you that compared to My eternal plans for you, these trials are only for a little while. [3]
I Supply All Your Needs and Fashion You to be Like Me
Because we love you, my Father and I have taken on the responsibility to supply all your needs according to our riches in glory. I am your Shepherd and in Me you shall not lack anything you really need. But you will never understand the depths of My promises while you think they speak only of supplying your physical needs. My beloved one, I long for you to trust that I am, in My union with you, also the perfect meeter of all your inner needs of love and acceptance, security, meaning and purpose, worth and significance, identity, adequacy, and victory over sin. So, I, Myself, as the meeter of all these needs, am the greatest love gift to you.
The things I bring into your life are also My love gifts. I, who cannot lie, have told you unequivocally, sweet bride, that My glorious and gracious purpose is to take everything that crosses your path, the good and the bad, and work them all together to bring about the most wonderful thing for you that could be imagined: My love for you seeks to fashion you into My image: I am love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. As you walk depending upon Me, My Spirit will reveal Me in you.
When you see this big picture, rather than being critical and complaining, you will, by the filling of my Spirit, be able to thank Me for all things. Rejoicing in My precious purpose for you will replace the fear and unrest that the power of sin wants to produce in you. So, keep looking for the gifts that come from My loving heart.[4]
I Long to Hold You and Spend Private Time with You
I am holding you now. I am in you and you are in Me. I am comfortable with you. But I know that sometimes you are uncomfortable with Me because you know that I am holy and you feel like you are not. However, I have changed your spiritual identity so that you are holy. In a miraculous transformation based on My cross, when you were saved, I instantly and radically changed you:
- from being My enemy to being My friend,
- from having no hope of being accepted to being totally acceptable in Me,
- from being “married” to the Law to being married to Me,
- from being unlovely to being lovely and lovable.
I have chosen you and made you “holy” and “beloved.” “Holy” so you could snuggle up to Me. “Beloved” so you’d know how I enjoy you doing so.
I long to have you enjoy My embrace by abiding in Me. Focus your mind on our spirit union together: My unconditional love for you, My constant presence with you, My thoughtfulness, kindness and patience with you—because you are My dear bride. I have brought about a marriage of your spirit with Mine. I made you a new spiritual being by resurrecting you with Me, so that, joined as one, we could enjoy love and intimacy with one another.
When I walked this earth, I loved to spend personal time with My Father, to spend focused time with My friends, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and the disciples, talking with them, sharing private things with them.
In the same way, I long to have personal and private time just for the two of us. It will be a time when, by the power of My Spirit
in your spirit, I will focus on showing you the breadth and length and height and depth of My surpassing love and fill you with My fullness forever and ever. [5]
Your Loving Bridegroom,
Jesus
From Discovering The Treasure of Your New Human Spirit, John E. Best (Pigeon Forge, TN: Grace Fellowship International, 2011, 2023), 230-235. Available in paperback and ebook from the publisher and Amazon.com
Biblical preamble added
Notes (These are selected and renumbered. The book has more numerous and detailed footnotes.)
[1] Rom. 5:8
[2] Romans 6:6, 11; 1 John 4:8; John 15:9; 17:23
[3] Rephrasing of: Colossians 1:17; Matthew 10:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Psalm 34:17-18; Psalm 139:17-18; Hebrews 4:15; Isaiah 53:4; 1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 55:22; 2 Corinthians 4:17.
[4] Rephrasing of: Philippians 4:19; Psalm 23:1; Romans 8:28-29; Galatians 5:22- 23; Ephesians 5:18-20; Romans 8:6; 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:18.
[5] Rephrasing of: John 14:20; Ephesians 1:4; Romans 5:10, 15:7, 7:4; Ephesians 1:18; Colossians 3:12, 3:1-4; Hebrews 13:5; Psalm 139:17-18; 2 Corinthians 11:2; 1 Corinthians 6:17; 2 Corinthians 5:17 Romans 6:3-5; Luke 6:12; Mark 1:35; John 3:16; John 15:15; Matthew 16:20-21; Ephesians 3:16-20.