The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. ---John3:29
The goodness and purity of man should not be used to draw men to himself; but only as a magnet to the Lord. I am not truly holy if my holy purpose is not to return to God; This will only stir up deviant enthusiasm and make people deviate from the right path. A remarkable saint who does not honor Jesus Christ but boasts of what Christ has done for him will become a stumbling block to others. He gave the impression— “What a fine character that man is!” This was no true friend of the bridegroom; because “I” is constantly thriving, but he is not.
To maintain our friendship and loyalty to the groom, be mindful of our moral and personal relationship with him. These are more important than anything, even obedience. Sometimes there is nothing to obey, just to maintain a life relationship with Jesus Christ and not to let anything break from it. There is, of course, matters of obedience; if a crisis comes, we need to know what God’s will will be. But most of our lives are spent not in conscious obedience, but in maintaining a relationship with God---as a friend of the bridegroom. The work that Christians do may divert others from the Lord’s heart and let them not attend to their proper duties. Far from being friends with the groom, we tend to do God’s work against him, using God’s weapons.
Dear God, I know that I have not been able to put my deep faith in Jesus into practice lately. Hidden motives often seem to stir. Bring the simplicity of Christ into my life, so that I may look only for your approval.
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