A Bible Devotional 31st August 2023

A Bible Devotional 31st August 2023

Why?

REVELATION 19:7-8 NKJ 7 "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

These verses hold an answer to the question often asked by humans facing difficulties and troubles: "Why?"

Since Jesus has already defeated the devil and gained for us all the blessings the Bible tells us about, why is the devil allowed to continue to attack us and steal those blessings?

Does any bridegroom desire to marry a bride he cannot communicate with? Certainly not!

Surely, no highly educated person would prefer marrying a spouse who cannot even read or write. No one would prefer marrying someone unable to speak their language.

Jesus is no different in this regard. His desire is also to have companionship with those who understand Him.

So you are being prepared to be a fit companion for the Lord Jesus Christ for eternity. This means you need to have opportunity to overcome and to walk in love in the midst of difficulty. Otherwise, you would never be able to truly appreciate all Jesus has done.

Does this mean Jesus will throw out those who do not perfectly overcome in this life? Absolutely not! Jesus promised that anyone who came to Him would never be rejected or cast out (John 6:37). But the richest fellowship will be enjoyed with those who overcome as He overcame.

Jesus does not play favorites. He freely loves us all. But we are the ones who choose how close to the Lord we desire to be.

Revelation 19:8 says the fine linen adorning the Lamb's companion is righteous acts. What makes her so beautiful to Jesus is not that she is clothed in His righteousness, which was a gift, but in her own righteousness.

No, we are not saved by our righteous acts, but when we allow Jesus to live and love through us, our acts of loving sacrifice are very beautiful to the Lord.

Verse 7 says His wife has made herself ready. She was not born ready. She was born righteous, but not ready. She had to grow up and learn to walk as Jesus walked in order to become ready to be His most intimate companion. She received right standing with God as a free gift. But the righteous acts she is wearing are her own.

This is why the devil has not been incarcerated yet. God believes every one of His children can overcome, so we are being allowed the opportunity to do so.

The wife of the Lamb is meant to have the opportunity to overcome evil with good -- just as Jesus did -- so she can fellowship with Him on a level of understanding that would not be possible otherwise.

Our wonderful Lord Jesus is worthy of companions who understand (at least somewhat) the difficulties He suffered, because of His love for us.

So let us ask Him to continue His work in us, making us what He desires us to be -- similar to Him. And let us persevere in faith, even when we face things we don't fully understand.

Then we will be ready for that wonderful, privileged position of intimate fellowship with Jesus.

SAY THIS: It is a great privilege to know Jesus Christ, and to become like Him.

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