Live with a light heart!

My small group is doing a Precept study titled Kinsman-Redeemer. One of the responsibilities of the Kinsman-Redeemer is to marry his brother’s childless widow and father children for her -- providing heirs for his brother. Jesus is that husband to the church. We are the bride of Christ.

I looked up Scriptures on Bride/Bridegroom and found the following.

Isaiah 62
1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet,
till her righteousness shines out like the dawn,
her salvation like a blazing torch.
2 The nations will see your righteousness,
and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name
that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.
3 You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand,
a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 No longer will they call you Deserted,
or name your land Desolate.
But you will be called Hephzibah, [a] (means my delight is in her)
and your land Beulah [b] ; (means married)
for the LORD will take delight in you,
and your land will be married.
5 As a young man marries a maiden,
so will your sons [c] (builder) marry you;
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
so will your God rejoice over you.

Revelation 19:7
7Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.

Revelation 21:1-4
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
Revelation 21:1-4
9One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

Revelation 22:12-17
12"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
14"Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you[a] this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."
17The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.


I’m confident that it is no coincidence that, after reading these Scriptures, I picked up at my previous stopping point in Jan Winebrenner’s book Intimate Faith. The topic at that point is Women of Celebration, and the author is referencing the Proverbs 31 woman, specifically 31:25, She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. I read:

It is a less-than-cordial world we face every morning. Obstacles to joy erupt at every turn. The discipline of celebration calls all of us to lighthearted living in spite of personal circumstances, national or international fears and uncertainties. As Christ’s beloved, we are always enfolded in his arms. His resources are always open to us; his power is always at work on our behalf. Our safety, in the present, as well as in the future, lies in his abiding love.

John Piper wrote:
God’s heart is not divided toward you. If you belong to Christ by faith, then everything God could possibly give you for your good he has signed over to your account in Christ. You hear the same answer at every point: Is this promise in my account? Yes. Is this blessing in my account? Yes. Yes. Yes. All the promises of God are Yes in Christ. Christ is God’s Yes to all future grace. (from Future Grace)

If we have Christ, we have God’s “Yes.” We have his assurance that he will be sufficient for whatever awaits us – today, next week, and next year. We can live free of paralyzing fear and heart-dragging pessimism because Jesus holds our lives in tender hands. His presence is our joy and our confidence. In spite of uncertainties and chaos and catastrophe, we can live among our friends and family with humor and playfulness because we have confidence in “future grace.”

As the beloved bride of Christ, we can know that all of our tomorrows are secure. We don’t have any reason for dread. We are held in the arms of one whose greatest jo is to lavish his love on us. We have good reason to smile today, and to laugh outright as we joyfully contemplate God’s care for us in the days to come.

What an awesome God we serve! He is so loving, so kind, and so ready to speak to those who seek Him with all their heart.

Live life with a light heart. That’s a Healthy Habit.