"This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh..."
The world's greatest poets, screen writers and story tellers could never pen more intimate words than those spoken by Adam when God created Eve to be his bride.
I discovered anew this weekend at my daughter's wedding that the world is hungry for such intimacy, and that joy overflows from our very souls when we catch a glimpse of adoring love between others.
Kristin became Mrs. Randy Carey in front of nearly 400 witnesses who felt the tremendous power of the Holy Spirit and the unconditional love He gives as they were united. All of our lives were impacted greatly by the story of these two young people who walked in fidelity throughout their courtship; who sought God together on their knees as they prepared for their wedding. Their primary desire was to be wed in a ceremony that would reflect God's immense love for all of us, and that would tell the beautiful story of His pursuit of each of us; of His longing for you and me to be as captured by His presence as Adam was by Eve in the Garden so long ago.
We are created in the image of God - the Holy trinity - craving intimacy with others and with our Creator. Our loving God designed marriage to fill that need in a sacred union that actually causes a man and a woman to become one, with each maintaining their own identities - but totally and completely unified and dependent on each other. God's pursuit of a relationship with us is so intense that it took him to a cross where he willingly and sacrificially laid down his life in order to make us as pure and shining as a bride on her wedding day. Kristin literally beamed as she was pronounced Randy's wife; Randy was overcome with love's embrace as he became Kristin's husband. Their expressions were that of total adoration for each other. They knew they were being made complete.
God adores you in that same manner. And He longs for you to adore him too.
Don't let our crass popular culture rob you of the fulfilling intimacy with God that is yours for the asking.
How To Save Your Family: Open your heart and accept God's adoration of you
Genesis chapter 2 also records Adam as saying, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed."
Pastor Steve King of Cherrydale Baptist Church in Arlington, Virginia officiated the wedding ceremony. He explained that our relationship with our spouse should be so transparent and so full of commitment that even though we are well aware of the faults and weaknesses of our spouse, the power of our love conquers both our judgment of each other and our fears of being judged by each other. Such commitment causes us to compliment and complete each other. We become as dependent on our spouse as we were on our parents as children. Pastor King reminded us that God designed marriage to show how we can come before him just as we are - with all of our failures, and faults and defects - and that He is always faithful to forgive and forget, only seeing in us the perfection of his son.
Ponder that for a few minutes in silence, and you will begin to understand the atmosphere that permeated the gathering of those at this glorious wedding. Accept God's unconditional adoration of you, and you will be transformed, becoming one with Him. Becoming complete in Him.
Even for the unchurched and non-religious present, there was a powerful, undeniable, undefinable beauty in the uniting of Kristin and Randy. The ceremony opened with a reading from Isaiah. I pray it will inspire you to renew your own commitment to your spouse if you are married; to search and commit to only accepting God's design for marriage if you are still single.
And most of all, I pray that it will inspire you to either renew your commitment to a full relationship with Christ, or inspire you to pursue one. As it says in Ephesians chapter 3, my prayers is that you may, "...have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep God's love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God."
From Isaiah Chapter 62:
"I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch. .....the Lord will hold you in His hand for all to see - a splendid crown in the hand of God.....your new name will be "The City of God's Delight" and "The Bride of God," for The Lord delights in you and will claim you as his bride."
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