“I will have much joy in the Lord. My soul will have joy in my God, for He has clothed me with the clothes of His saving power. He has put around me a coat of what is right and good, as a man at his own wedding wears something special on his head, and as a bride makes herself beautiful with stones of great worth.”

Isaiah 61:10

Recently, I was sitting with a new friend and listening to her story.  She had come for help.  The past few years of her life had been very difficult with great heartache.  During our conversation I asked her, “Are you a Christian?”.  Her response was, “I don’t even know what that means…and sometimes I feel I don’t even know how to ask.”  I asked her, “Do you want to know?”  Her response, “I do.”

As we talked, I shared a bit of my story and how I felt before I knew Jesus.  I shared how I would see little children who knew Bible verses and how I would think, “they’re a child and I’m an adult…I should know this by now…”    I had those questions, also, and unknowingly longed for the love of God. I told her the story of Nicodemus, a learned man, a Pharisee, a leader in his time, a member of the Jewish Ruling Council.  He knew the Scripture.  He was well educated.  Yet, despite all his learning and privileges, he did not know God.  He knew Religion but he did not know Relationship with the Living God.  He knew about God, but he did not know Jesus, His Saviour, Who was right before him.

Then, we talked about how God desires to have relationship with each of us,  How He had relationship with Adam…man made in His Image.  The relationship with Adam and Eve…and how that relationship was broken, through sin.

I could see her eyes begin to fill as I shared that God sent His only Son to pay the price for our sin.  He came as “an innocent, pure baby born in a stable in the midst of a hostile culture.  Jesus was the only One that could pay the price…dying a brutal death for our sins…all of them…for eternity so that we would not go to Hell…to perish.

His love for us and His obedience to His Father compelled and held Him to the Cross to be the payment for our sins.  Where our flesh, our bodies would die, one day…our spirits would be born again living forever, with Jesus.   If we gave our lives to Him, believing that Jesus is the Son of God, our Saviour, who died a brutal death as payment…for forgiveness of all sin…debt paid, the Sacrifice Lamb…our spirit born again…relationship with God reconciled.”

I asked her, “Do you want to ask Jesus to be Your Saviour, to be born again… do you want to give your life to Him, Jesus the Son of God, to receive His forgiveness…do you understand…”

She said, “I do.”…and we prayed…her words and tears freely flowed, to Jesus.  It was not my words.  The sweet presence of God filled the room and opened her heart to His Love…and His hope.   Relationship with God reconciled.

Love…forgiveness, new Life, new identity in Christ received.   A Holy moment.   Exchange of a vow, a covenant…exchange of old life for new life in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17).

At that moment I had a picture of Jesus as our Bridegroom and us as His Bride.  We talked about how at a wedding the Bride and Groom say, “I do.” 

That we are called the Bride of Christ and He is our Bridegroom.  That angels in Heaven were rejoicing because she said, “I do.” to Jesus.  It was her day of visitation…the beginning of new life.

Jesus love is patient, kind…He is the Bridegroom.  He extends His Mighty, Loving, Nail Scarred Hand to us today…waiting for us to say, “I do.”

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John 3:16-21