‘Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.’ Revelation 19:6-8
Did you know there is a wedding and a feast in your future? The scriptures describe the church as a bride betrothed to Christ. We will eat and drink and celebrate the love and the life that Jesus has given to us. The question is: are you ready for a wedding?
Imagine this great wedding day. What would you be doing to prepare? Even the guys have fresh haircuts and clean shaven faces. The bride begins the elaborate hair preparation. There is either a clean well pressed tux in the corner or that carefully chosen dress of your dreams. Anticipation and nervous excitement pound in your chest. Picture it in your mind. What would it be like for you to intentionally prepare for this wedding and feast?
It takes lots of planning and preparation to celebrate a wedding, doesn’t it? Revelation 19 tells us that the fine linen that the church (bride) wears are the Righteous deeds of the saints. Remember the proposal and engagement took place before the wedding preparation. Our good deeds are like wedding preparation. They don’t earn or force a betrothal; they simply prepare us to celebrate the wedding well.
Take a moment to shift the way you think about your good deeds. Your attempts to eliminate anger from your life, that is a wedding preparation. Your efforts to care for your family selflessly, that is the fine clothing you wear on that great feast day. You don’t earn an “I do” by dressing well on a wedding day but love drives you to prepare well for that day.
By Aaron Bjorklund
