The Wedding Day "Wow!"

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

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Wives love to take their husbands to weddings. Hopefully, the love-feast will jumpstart a little romance in the old boy's soul. Recently, I saw a lot of hand-holding and sitting close when Jimmy and Tanya got married. Hey, it works, girls!

I had a ringside seat for it all. Actually, a ringside "stand." I was doing the honors, marrying a young couple I think the world of. My "Kodak moment" was watching that googly-eyed groom as he watched his beautiful bride coming down the aisle.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Wedding Day 'Wow!'"

It was beautiful; it was touching. Jimmy's a happy guy, but I saw a glow in those moments that I've never seen in him before. It's pretty hard to describe. Wonder. Amazement. Unmistakable, unconcealable, unrestrained affection. I guess I'd call it the "wow!" factor.

It took me back to a prayer I prayed during our wedding many years ago. "Lord, may I never lose that breathless wonder that exclaims, 'Out of all this world, you have chosen me!'" As every married couple knows, it's just all too easy to lose that wonder in the accumulated storms and hurts and hassles and wonder-eroding familiarity of the years.

But the wonder isn't meant to just be for the wedding. It should be - it can be - for life. Always amazed at the treasure you have in the person who trusted their life into your hands. Asking "the Lord who is acting as the witness between you" (Malachi 2:14) Malachi says, to rekindle the flame. Because as 1 John says, "love comes from God...God is love" (1 John 4:7-8).

I know what it is to suddenly face the prospect that I might not see my bride alive again. I so thank God that He gave her back to me. He gave me a chance to re-treasure this one-of-a-kind, exceedingly precious gift that He entrusted to me. But re-treasuring is a choice that shouldn't require a crisis.

Sometimes, marriages - like ships - accumulate barnacles that encumber them: resentment, stuffed anger, wounding words, stubborn un-forgiveness, a heart turned cold or hard. But your lifetime love is too priceless to lose to any of the dark forces that want to steal it away.

The good news is that the Jesus who chose a wedding to do His first miracle is still in the marriage miracle business. He "binds up the brokenhearted," the Bible says. He replaces "ashes" with a "crown of beauty" (Isaiah 61:1, 3). He restores "the years that the locusts have eaten" (Joel 2:25). He will "remove from you a heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). The Bible says He "makes all things new" (Revelation 21:5). Jesus can rekindle love where love has dimmed - with love from His great heart.

As I saw that adoring look on that young groom's face, my mind suddenly was thinking about Jesus. Looking adoringly at what the Bible describes as His "Bride." That's what He has chosen to call those He died for, those who belong to Him through faith in Him.

Jesus called Himself "the bridegroom," and He said, "The bride belongs to the bridegroom" (John 3:29). Now, our word today from the Word of God explains that we have chosen to give ourselves to Him because He loves us like nobody loves us. First John 3:16 says, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us" (1 John 3:16). As hard as it is to imagine, Jesus looks at us sinners and fools and says, "I'd rather die than lose you."

It's a love I could not and I will not ignore. And at a wedding I saw a picture of how He feels about me and all those who are His - unmistakable, unconcealable, unrestrained love. And I saw, symbolized in that young bride, the response to that love - committing yourself to this One who has proven - in blood - that you can trust Him with your life.

I'm overwhelmed. As I write about this amazing love, I don't want anyone to miss it. So I ask you today, if you've never opened yourself up to the love that died for you - the love of Jesus, today say, "Jesus, finally, I don't want to just go to meetings about you. I don't want to just know about you. I want to belong to you. I'm yours."

Go to our website. There you'll find out how to make sure you belong to Him. YoursForLife.net. Experience this most amazing love in the universe for yourself today.