Are you married?
By Rick Edwards A Point Of Light

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;

my soul

shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10

God must really like weddings. Throughout Scripture He repeatedly uses the metaphor of the marriage ceremony and the bride and groom to describe how He feels about His relationship with us.

Check out Isaiah 61:10: "I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness. As a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns

herself with her jewels..."

When you get married, you put on your best, right? God says that in Christ, we are dressed like a bridegroom decked out for His bride. Picture the scene. On one side of the church is the groom, looking mighty fine in his wedding duds and in some room on the other side of the church, the bride adorns herself with her jewels. Her gown, her shoes, her gloves, the entire outfit now in place, she waits expectantly.

That's the picture God has of us. It's a bit sentimental perhaps, but doesn't it make you smile? Really? That's how God thinks of me? Really it is.

It's all about seeing yourself through God's eyes. If you're to survive in this critical, negative world, you need to carry this skill around with you. People are always firing faulty messages about who you are. Their arrows can easily bring you down. When I was in Bible college, someone I admired in ministry looked me in the eye and said, "Rick, you're never going to be a pastor. You might as well give it up and get a job elsewhere." That hurt for a moment. However I rejected that message because I knew God had a plan for me.

Have you accepted a message like that? I beg you, embrace the heart of your Father for you instead. Joyfully accept how He sees you and how He loves you. Let Him clarify your true identity in Him. Neither your own concepts of who you are, nor others' opinions mean anything compared to what God says about you. Build your life on the truth found throughout Scripture. God loves you like a dreamy-eyed groom stretching for his first glimpse of you down the wedding aisle.

Peace, Pastor Rick Rick Edwards is pastor of Murphy First Baptist Church.