THE ROLE OF THE BRIDE

MEMORY VERSE: and the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him, Genesis 2:18

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Kgs 4-5, Eph 2, Ezek 35, Ps 23-24

When we hear the word ‘bride’, what comes to mind is marriage. After creating Adam, the Lord observed that this man was lonely. To solve his problem of loneliness, He created Eve. Adam and Eve got married and this problem was solved. Loneliness was the problem marriage came to solve not the lack of sex so please do not get married because of sex or because it will be good for your ministry or because you feel you are getting old. Do not rush into marriage because your parents are mounting pressure on you or because you want to be respected .Please and please do not get married because you want to put on a wedding ring and marriage doesn’t always solve financial problems. It has been proving that marriage does not really solve the problem of lack of sex or any of the above points mentioned. 

Genesis 2:18 says and the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. The number one duty of a wife is to be a companion to his husband in other words solve his problem of loneliness, all others are secondary. As a godly wife, your husband must come first not the ministry, business or children. The moment your husband comes second, the purpose of marriage is defeated. Children cannot solve the problem of loneliness and God did not give them to you to solve the problem of loneliness. As a godly man, it is deemed ungrateful not to appreciate or to frustrate the help or companion God has given to you. Your companion is a good thing and favor from the Lord (Proverbs 18:22). Because she is your companion and your best friend, there must not be any secrets. As your companion, she is meant to be the closest person to you on earth.

God created Eve to meet the needs of Adam. God created brides to meet the needs of the grooms. As brides of Christ, our relationship with Him should not be to solve our problems but to meet the needs of Jesus. Our number one duty is to minister to Christ i.e. be His companion. We are to spend time with Him in prayer and praises. Other activities are secondary. Time with Jesus must always come first, the ministry, evangelism, work in the church e.t.c are all secondary. Many of us are now putting ministry before Jesus. Many of us labor day in day out at the church, but we never spend quality time with Jesus and that should not be so. Just as putting anything before the husband can have a detrimental effect on the marriage, putting anything before Jesus has detrimental effect on our relationship with Him.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me to spend more time ministering to you.

Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus.

VIRTUOUS BRIDE

Memory Verse: Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies, Proverbs 31:10.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 1, John 20, Prov 17, Phil 4

The word ‘virtuous woman’ is loosely used these days without many really understanding what it means to be a virtuous woman. Proverbs 31:10-31 paints a clear picture of a virtuous woman. A virtuous woman is a woman that her husband can trust with his life. One thing with trust is that you don’t buy it, you earn it. Not only that, a virtuous woman is a woman that always does her husband good and not evil all the days of her life. A woman that does her husband good will do everything possible to always make her husband happy. A virtuous woman is a woman who the fear of the Lord is deeply rooted in her. She is hardworking not lazy, the bible actually says she rises at least an hour before everyone at home to prepare breakfast. Because she conducts herself in these ways, her children will call her a blessing. Her husband will praise her and the work of her hands will speak for her wherever she goes.

Many of us have read Proverbs 31:10-31 and thought God was speaking to ladies alone. Many have thought the qualities listed are for women alone. It will amaze you that God was actually speaking to the church /believers (men and women) – the supposed bride of Jesus. It is a virtuous lady that grows to become a virtuous woman. Without a virtuous spinster, you cannot a have virtuous bride because it is a virtuous spinster that becomes a virtuous bride. It is this virtuous bride that gets married and becomes a virtuous wife. This virtuous wife matures and becomes a virtuous woman. It is impossible to be a virtuous woman without first been a virtuous lady. 

We all know that the coming of our Lord Jesus is at hand and He is not coming for just brides but virtuous brides. As virtuous brides, the qualities highlighted in Proverbs 31:10-31 must be evident in our lives. Jesus must be able to safely trust us with Kingdom assignments. We must do Him good all the days of our lives i.e. do everything to please Him at all times. How can we do Jesus good? By doing what He commands. John 15:14 says you are my friend if you do what I command. Not only that we must ensure that we are not against Him. Luke 11:23 says He that is not with me is against Me, anyone who does not gather with Me scatters. If you are not witnessing about Jesus, you are not gathering with Him which means you are scattering what He is gathering. As virtuous brides we must be very hard working and as a matter of fact we must be ready to wake up early to have a quiet time with Him. Proverbs 8:17b says only those who seek Him early will find Him. Also as virtuous brides the fear of the Lord should be deeply rooted in us. When we conduct ourselves in this manner, before Father in heaven He(Jesus) will heap praises upon us. 

QUESTION: Can Jesus measure you against the standards expected of virtuous brides and praise you before God the Father? If not ask Him to help you today.