Overflowing Nuptial Love

God is love

1 John 4:8

As human beings one of our most basic needs is to be loved. We yearn to know that someone truly cares about us and that we are important to someone. We long to be accepted and loved unconditionally.

God has many attributes and all of them in totality make up who God is, but many believe that Love may be God’s most powerful attribute. God’s love is self-giving, sacrificial, unconditional, eternal, and in fact God’s love is nuptial. Yes God’s fidelity andHis lovefor us, His people,is as deep, as thethe conjugal,intimate union between a husband and his wife.

From the very beginning of the Bible we begin to see the importance of marriage and we begin to understand that God is the bridegroom and His people are the bride.

We read this:

Genesis 2:24

“That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.”

The prophets clearly understood this nuptial relationship between God and his People.

Isaiah 54:5

For he who has become your husband is your Maker; his name is the Lord of hosts; your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel

John the Baptist was the first to see Jesus as the Bridegroom:

John 3:28-29

“I am not the Messiah,” he told his listeners, “but I was sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice”

Finally, Jesus himself confirmed he is the bridegroom:

Mk 2:18-2,

Why do…your disciples not fast he said: Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast

My friends, God’s love for us is overflowing, it has no limits. In previous writings I have pointed out that most modern day love songs with just a minor twist can be seen as a song between God and us. This makes perfect senses since after all He is LOVE. There is a love song that came out in 1967 by actor and singer Ed Ames called My Cup Runneth Over with Love. In this song the lyrics describe a husband lying beside his wife drinking in and absorbing everything about his bride that makes her so special. He knows time is fleeting and he wants to memorize even the smallest things that she does.

MY CUP RUNNETH OVER WITH LOVE

Sometimes in the mornin’ when shadows are deep I lie here beside you just watching you sleep And sometimes I whisper what I’m thinking of My cup runneth over with love

Sometimes in the evening when you do not see I study the small things you do constantly I memorize moments that I’m fondest of My cup runneth over with love

In only a moment we both will be old

We won’t even notice the world turning cold And so, in these moments with sunlight above My cup runneth over with love

My cup runneth over with love, with love

As you read through these lyrics imagine the depth of the nuptial love that God has for us. He is there with us and beside us and is so interested in the smallest things that make us who we are.

In ancient Jewish tradition there was a period of betrothal. The betrothal period, set by the groom’s father, generally lasted about a year. During this time the couple was to live apart from each other during that time it was common for the bridegroom to give the bride a ring or other symbol as a promise of his love and as a pledge of his return. Then he would return to his father’s house and begin to add new living space for his soon to be bride.

We know that after his resurrection Jesus has gone to his Father’s house to prepare a place for all of us, as his bride. Now as believers in Jesus we wait with anticipation for the day we will be united with him. Until then we remain faithful to Him and say with all the redeemed of the Lord, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

In Mt. 22:2 Jesus continues the Biblical wedding parallels: “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son“. It becomes clear to us that Jesus is speaking of himself. The king in the parable invites guests to his son’s wedding. Just like at weddings today there is an RSVP process that goes along with an invitation. We are all invited to the wedding feast, but we must accept the invitation. We must present ourselves as having an attitude worthy of being called. We must wear the proper wedding garment, lest we be turned away. God has invited us to the wedding of His son. How will we respond?

In yet even another parable we are told to be prepared. In Mt. 25:1 we have the story of the ten virgins. The virgins who failed to have adequate oil for their lamps were locked out of the wedding. As I stated above, our bridegroom has beentaken from us for a while. We must prepare ourselves for His return. At the Second Coming of Christ, the church will be united with the Bridegroom, the official “wedding ceremony” will take place and, with it, the eternal union of Christ and His bride will be actualized (Revelation 19:7-9; 21:1-2).

As believers in Jesus Christ, we who are the bride of Christ wait with great anticipation for the day when we will be united with our Bridegroom. Until that day we must remain faithful to Him and on that day we can say, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

So until Jesus comes again, what must we do? In John 13:34-35 we read:

“I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Very often when we hear the term evangelize we are frightened by what that word calls us to. Doesn’t evangelization really mean to do just what Jesus stated above? To evangelize we simply must love others as He has loved us. We must let others we encounter know and see our unconditional love for them. One of the best places to begin the process of evangelizing (loving unconditionally) is to start with those who are closest to us. We can begin by telling our family members and friends just how important they are in our life.

So I will close today with one more love song. This is a moving song between a husband and his wife. In the song we see that there are regrets for having missed the opportunity to let loved ones who have passed away know just how much they were loved. In the lyrics we see a strong commitment to never again leave any doubt.

“If Tomorrow Never Comes”, was written by Garth Brooks and Kent Blazy and released by Garth Brooks in 1989 and became one of his most favorite songs.

If Tomorrow Never Comes

Sometimes late at night

I lie awake and watch her sleeping

She’s lost in peaceful dreams

So I turn out the lights and lay there in the dark

And the thought crosses my mind If I never wake up in the morning Would she ever doubt the way I feel About her in my heart

If tomorrow never comes

Will she know how much I loved her

Did I try in every way to show her every day That she’s my only one And if my time on earth were through And she must face the world without me

Is the love I gave her in the past Gonna be enough to last If tomorrow never comes

‘Cause I’ve lost loved ones in my life

Who never knew how much I loved them

Now I live with the regret

That my true feelings for them never were revealed So I made a promise to myself To say each day how much she means to me And avoid that circumstance Where there’s no second chance to tell her how I feel

If tomorrow never comes

Will she know how much I loved her

Did I try in every way to show her every day That she’s my only one And if my time on earth were through And she must face the world without me

Is the love I gave her in the past Gonna be enough to last If tomorrow never comes

So tell that someone that you love

Just what you’re thinking of

If tomorrow never comes

God’s love for us is unconditional nuptial love! He has called us to love others in that same way, just as He loves us. Can I invite you to heed the lyrics from this song, and today take the time to call or write the people in your life that are so important to you? Life is fleeting. Let them know how much they mean to you. Better yet, in addition to telling them, make it a point to always show them. If we can learn from Jesus to love others as He does us, we will be evangelizing and it will no longer be a scary word! Allow your cup to runneth over with love today!

Heavenly Father I thank you for calling your people to be your bride. Thank you for giving us Jesus as our bridegroom. Help me to always strive to love like you and to make sure others know just how much I care and love them, amen.

Brian Pusateri
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