{"id":41151,"date":"2018-03-27T07:00:05","date_gmt":"2018-03-27T14:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.olivetree.com\/?p=41151"},"modified":"2018-10-29T14:01:04","modified_gmt":"2018-10-29T21:01:04","slug":"waiting-for-his-bride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/blog\/waiting-for-his-bride\/","title":{"rendered":"Waiting For His Bride"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/h3>\n

WAITING FOR MY BRIDE<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Lately I have been thinking a lot on the character of Christ as the Bridegroom. It especially makes me think back to my wedding, and my own experience as a groom. <\/span><\/p>\n

My wife and I did not see each other beforehand but did take some pictures together, back-to-back. I could not see her, but I could<\/i> see the train of her dress in the corner of my eye. Being so close to her, but only able to see a glimpse, made me even more eager to see her. <\/span><\/p>\n

Later, when it was time for her to come down the aisle, I knew she was outside the door and about to come in, but she forgot her bouquet. So I stood there, waiting. The anticipation alone was enough to bring tears to my eyes.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

WAITING FOR HIS BRIDE<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In Matthew, Jesus illustrates how the Good Father cares for his children. He feeds the birds of the air and clothes the grass, and yet “are you not of more value than they?” (Mat 6:26<\/a>) Likewise, if we who are evil give good gifts to our children, “how much more will your Father\u2026give good things to those who ask him!” (Mat 7:11<\/a>) <\/span><\/p>\n

Just as God is even more of a Father than we are, how much more<\/i> <\/strong>does the Bridegroom anticipate the Wedding Feast? Isaiah writes, “as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” (Isa 62:5<\/a>) Jesus rejoices even more over His bride than we do.<\/span><\/p>\n

THE DAY IS COMING<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Think about that for a moment. The gospel says we are reconciled to the Father. But, this isn\u2019t a picture of a slave returned to bondage. It isn\u2019t as though a simple status quo has been restored, with God as Lord and us as mere underlings. We are His children. We are created in His image. He rejoices<\/i><\/strong> over us the same way a father celebrates a son coming home (Luke 15:32<\/a>) and a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Wedding Feast will be a great celebration<\/strong>. We look forward to that day of perfect restoration, when the scars of the sinful nature are finally wiped away, and we are united with our Lord. But Jesus loves His bride, and He also waits with anticipation for that eternity of rejoicing together.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

This blog was written by\u00a0Adam Hewitt,\u00a0Sr App Developer<\/strong> at Olive Tree<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WAITING FOR MY BRIDE Lately I have been thinking a lot on the character of Christ as the Bridegroom. It especially makes me think back to my wedding, and my own experience as a groom. My wife and I did not see each other beforehand but did take some pictures together, back-to-back. I could not<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":42743,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5341],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-41151","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-topical"},"yoast_head":"\nWaiting For His Bride - Olive Tree Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When Jesus ascended, it left his followers anxiously awaiting his return. Is he returning? 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