I remember when my daughter, Laura, was 5, she loved to play dress up. She had a box full of dress up clothes. Some were costumes and some were old dresses from proms or consignment shops. She loved to have her girlfriends come over and play dress up for hours. The coveted dress was the wedding dress. They all wanted to be the bride. They loved to pretend to have a wedding. Other times they would pretend they were already married and they would dress up as the Mommy or Daddy (as they referred to each other) and they would pretend life. My question for you is, which do you prefer? Do you prefer the wedding or a marriage?
Our commitment to Jesus, the moment we get saved, is like the wedding. It is the starting point of our relationship with Him. However, if the wedding (our salvation experience) is all we have with the Lord, we are missing out on the abundant life He has for us here on earth [John 10:10].
A wedding is an event that takes place on a specific day. We can recall the exact date it happened and even celebrate it. A marriage is what takes place over time. A commitment is made at a wedding and a marriage is the fulfillment of that commitment. It is the day to day walk through life with another. Jesus wants a marriage with you. He wants the day to day-ness (I just made that word up) with you in the good times and the bad times.
Exodus 33:11, is says, “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.” They had a relationship. John 14:23 says, “Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’” Jesus wants to make his home with you. That’s a marriage; that’s relationship.
The only way to have a strong marriage is to invest time and energy into building it with your spouse. If you want this type of relationship with Jesus, you must devote time to Him daily. Just like in your marriage (or future marriage), if you don’t make the relationship a priority by devoting time and energy to it, it will dissolve into nothing.
So, what’s it going to be for you….a wedding or a marriage?