In the last few weeks, no thought has captivated my heart as knowing how deeply Jesus loves His bride: the church. Since I am part of the church, and therefore part of the bride of Christ, it makes me feel exceptionally good as I meditate on the fact that Jesus loves me very much. You, too, are deeply loved of the Lord because you are part of the bride He is espoused to.
Last week, I landed on Rick Joyner’s Word for the Week (Week 28, 2007) which should ably communicate how much the Lord loves you:
“A few weeks ago, I had two of the most powerful visions I have had in years. I was basically shown the Lord’s heart at the beginning of creation and what the main desire of His heart is now. It was His bride, the church. From these visions, I understood profoundly that the love He has for His bride is so impacting that the church does not exist for the kingdom, but the kingdom exists for the church . . . The Lord loves His creation, and He loves the earth. He loves every sparrow, which is why He notices when a single one falls to the ground. However, there is nothing that compares to the love He has for His bride.”
Let me also quote here what Mike Bickle has to say in relation to Jesus and the church: “God’s purpose for His creation is to provide a family for Himself and a bride for His Son as His eternal companion to reign with Him forever. Human history began in Eden with Adam and Eve joined as a bridegroom and bride (Genesis 2:24). Natural history ends with a prepared bride being presented to God’s worthy Son (Revelation 19:7) . . . The guiding principle of God’s leadership over history has been to use His power and wisdom to select, train, and prepare a bride to reign with Jesus . . . Many cannot see where history is headed or what purpose it accomplishes. They see no lasting goals for humanity or purpose for enduring hardship. This leaves them in despair. History is often interpreted through the lens of significant breakthroughs, military crises, political developments, and economic trends. We (Christians) interpret history through the lens of God preparing a bride. In this we see a lasting purpose in our struggles . . . God has orchestrated natural history so that people may seek, grope for, and find Jesus (Acts 17:26-27)”.
If everything in history has been about the bride of Christ, then surely you are loved very much. Think about it: Jesus left heaven in order to get a bride from the earth. For bride price, He gave His life; He died to have you for Himself. And before He went back to heaven, He told you, “In my Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3). Because of His great love for you, Jesus is busy preparing a bridal chamber where, together with Him, you will enjoy the greatest intimacy. While Jesus is in heaven now, you remain the key thing on His mind.
I pray this revelation of how loved you are by the Lord will draw you closer to Him. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
God bless you.