The Bride of Christ thread

[Amylisa]

Today I was blessed to find this card and rose while doing an image search. Imagine my excitement when I saw my name written on the card!

Let me tell you why I did this image search. I wanted to post a special picture to illustrate how unique each soul is to Jesus the Beloved. Dear Bride, He has special things He would whisper to you heart. Already in the Song of Solomon the Bridegroom calls the Bride, "Beloved, My dove, My unique one, My undefiled, beautiful, My sister..." Yet He would say much more! Jesus has a special love note for you too with your name written upon it. He also would give you five precious roses and these are His five wounds: His wounded hands and feet and the wound in His heart. Happy are you if you meet with Him in a secret place and open His treasures today. Look to Him expectantly. He has something personal just for you!

 

[Amylisa]

My anniversary is Dec. 11th.

 

[kisstheson]

Hey yeah!!! That's right you're name is Amy too! Isn't that card and rose the coolest? Jesus would certainly do something like give us something that beautiful!

 

[JohannAT]

Jesus' human emotions are also God's emotions. Remember, humans were made in the image of God. And Jesus, of course, IS the express image of God. In the world people have come to think that being human is demeaning and that God would not have strong emotions, but it's just the opposite. I believe His feelings are stronger than any human being's. We are just small representatives of what He is like. I don't mean our faults, of course. I mean, as we were originally made and will someday be in Heaven. And with Christ dwelling within us, we reflect that image even now.

Dear sister Robin,

Amen and Amen to your wonderful post! I too believe that God's feelings are stronger than any human being's. Thank you for reminding us that with Christ dwelling in us, we reflect God's image even now.

Thank you, dear Lord Jesus Christ, for coming into us and for restoring God's image in us. How we thank You and praise You and love You!

 

[kisstheson]

Bride sleeping in the heart of Jesus.

Here's one of my favorite pictures of the Bride. In fact I have this print hanging in my apartment. Please take a good look at it. In the background you'll see a round opening. Outside is a winter landscape. This reminds me of the coldness of the world, our fears and doubts and unbelief. But the Bride has left that lifeless cold place and has found a beautiful meadow filled with many flowers and a running stream. She is sweetly contented there, so much so that she has fallen asleep.

Where is this place? It's the deep in the heart of Jesus!

The opening and the way into this place was made when the spear pierced Jesus' heart. There is no safer, no more secure place than resting in Christ's heart. Let's go to Jesus and ask Him to place us inside His heart! He will!

"Come to Me all you who are weary and I'll will give you rest...I am meek and gentle of heart."

 

[abigale]

Bride sleeping in the heart of Jesus.

Here's one of my favorite pictures of the Bride. In fact I have this print hanging in my apartment. Please take a good look at it. In the background you'll see a round opening. Outside is a winter landscape. This reminds me of the coldness of the world, our fears and doubts and unbelief. But the Bride has left that lifeless cold place and has found a beautiful meadow filled with many flowers and a running stream. She is sweetly contented there, so much so that she has fallen asleep.

Where is this place? It's the deep in the heart of Jesus!

The opening and the way into this place was made when the spear pierced Jesus' heart. There is no safer, no more secure place than resting in Christ's heart. Let's go to Jesus and ask Him to place us inside His heart! He will!

"Come to Me all you who are weary and I'll will give you rest...I am meek and gentle of heart."

It looks alot like the pictures of the maidens of the seasons

 

[JPPT1974]

Bride sleeping in the heart of Jesus.

Here's one of my favorite pictures of the Bride. In fact I have this print hanging in my apartment. Please take a good look at it. In the background you'll see a round opening. Outside is a winter landscape. This reminds me of the coldness of the world, our fears and doubts and unbelief. But the Bride has left that lifeless cold place and has found a beautiful meadow filled with many flowers and a running stream. She is sweetly contented there, so much so that she has fallen asleep.

Where is this place? It's the deep in the heart of Jesus!

The opening and the way into this place was made when the spear pierced Jesus' heart. There is no safer, no more secure place than resting in Christ's heart. Let's go to Jesus and ask Him to place us inside His heart! He will!

"Come to Me all you who are weary and I'll will give you rest...I am meek and gentle of heart."

Indeed where is the place?
That is where Jesus is at
To give us rest!

 

[JohannAT]

Dear ones, precious to Him,

What a sweet privelege to be able to rest deep in the heart of Jesus! There is no other place of such rest and contentment! What dear sister Amy said is so precious, "Let's go to Jesus and ask Him to place us inside His heart! He will!"

"I want you to swear, O daughters of Jerusalem,
Do not arouse or awaken my love,
Until she pleases." (Song of Songs 8:4)
​

 

[kisstheson]

Amen Charlie!

And we as His Bride must give this rest. this sleep sufficent time and not be so quick to leave His chamber. The Bridegroom entreats those outside the chamber who want her to rise from her rest to let her be, but we also need to tell ourselves, "No, I need to rest in His heart until He pleases to awaken me." I believe it says in the book of Psalms "He gives to the beloved even in their sleep."

There's a story about Saint Gertrude who was keeping vigil with Jesus almost all night. She was really very tired, but Jesus, always thirsty for our love wouldn't allow her to sleep. When Jesus finally consented He appeared to her in a dream and gave her refreshment from His side. The next day she awoke and felt as though she had slept the entire night!

What I am saying is in our case Jesus may call us to sleep and rest within His heart where He will strengthen us and refresh us.

Ready? Lord Jesus! Here we come!

 

[abigale]

There's a story about Saint Gertrude who was keeping vigil with Jesus almost all night. She was really very tired, but Jesus, always thirsty for our love wouldn't allow her to sleep. When Jesus finally consented He appeared to her in a dream and gave her refreshment from His side. The next day she awoke and felt as though she had slept the entire night!

scripture please

 

[kisstheson]

You won't find the story of Saint Gertrude in the scriptures but Jesus does say in the Gospels, "Come to Me all of you who are weary and I will give you rest...I am gentle and humble of heart." Gertrude keeping vigil with Jesus can be compared with Christ who asked His disciples to keep watch and pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus giving Gertrude nourishment from His side is comparable to Him saying "My flesh is true food and My blood is true drink." Sleeping in the heart of Christ brings to mind John 15 "Abide in Me." And Paul, "We live and move and have our being in Him." Sleeping is a part of living, isn't it?

All that we need, our rest, our health, peace and beauty is found within the Person of Christ. We love the beauty of flowers and forests, majestic mountains and the starry heights. These are but a pale reflection of Jesus who created them. It only stands to reason that great beauty is found within Christ. Don't you want to be within Jesus, abiding IN Him?

Fairest Lord Jesus, ruler of all nature, O thou of God and man the Son, Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor, thou, my soul's glory, joy, and crown. Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands, robed in the blooming garb of spring: Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer who makes the woeful heart to sing. Fair is the sunshine, fairer still the moonlight, and all the twinkling starry host: Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer than all the angels heaven can boast. Beautiful Savior! Lord of all the nations! Son of God and Son of Man! Glory and honor, praise, adoration, now and forevermore be thine.

 

[JohannAT]

Amen, dear sister Amy!

Yes, I do want to abide in Him! "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches, he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit: for apart from Me you can do nothing." (John 15: 4-5).

The life that bears much fruit is ours when we abide in Him. How great is our need to rest in Him, to simply be a branch attached to the Vine, drawing from Him all the riches and all the nourishment necessary for living the Christian life and for fruit bearing. All the strength and supply we need is in Him! This is a most precious way to live. It is not an idle life (verse 16 of John chapter 15 speaks of our going to bear fruit), but it is an attached life, a dependent life, an abiding life!

His precious side has been opened up, and out of His side has flowed blood and water (John 19:34). Now we have His precious blood to cleanse us from all sin (1 John 1:7), and we have the water given to us, the very water which becomes in us rivers of living water flowing out of our innermost being (John 7:38, 4:14)! What a rich supply flows from His wounded side!

What can we say to Him but "Draw me into Your innermost chambers, dear Lord Jesus. Cause me to rest in You. Cause me to lie down in the green grass, beside the still and quiet waters." (Song of Songs 1:4, Matthew 11:28, Psalm 23:2)

 

[kisstheson]

My dwelling, thy dwelling
My chamber thine
Beneath the white rose tapestry
My dove, Come! Recline!
Hung round with linen,
In My arbor rest
Bathed in candle light, the sanctuary
Within My breast!
~Jesus

What can we say to Him but "Draw me into Your innermost chambers, dear Lord Jesus. Cause me to rest in You. Cause me to lie down in the green grass, beside the still and quiet waters." (Song of Songs 1:4, Matthew 11:28, Psalm 23:2)

 

[Pilgrim1951]

The Bride thinks about Jesus and how she can minister to Him. What does Jesus long for today and how shall we answer Him! Here is a representation of the Bride offering Jesus a drink of water. Later a Roman centurion will come and prevent Christ from drinking the water. Just like the centurion the Evil One this day does not want us to give the Lord our devotion and worship but let's press through and adore Him today.

Jesus is thirsty for the Bride's love!

Hi Amy, just an interesting side note regarding the book this movie was taken from - I found this on a website about General Lew Wallace, who wrote "Ben Hur, A Tale of the Christ"

What inspired Lew Wallace to write Ben-Hur?
Lew Wallace answers this question in various articles, speeches, and other of his writings. In 1876, after a conversation on a train with a well-known atheist, Col. Robert G. Ingersoll, Lew Wallace realized that he didn’t know as much as he would like to about his own faith. (He attended the Methodist Church off and on throughout his life, but consider himself indifferent to religion.) He thought that the idea of doing research for a book he could write would be the best motivation for him to tackle reading the Bible. He had already written a short story describing the journey of the wise men to Bethlehem—a subject which has fascinated him since he was very young. This became the first book of Ben-Hur, with the rest of the novel describing the “religious and political conditions of the world at the time of the coming,” as he says in his Autobiography. Although he may have been indifferent to religion before writing the book, he says in the preface to The First Christmas, 1899, that the act of writing resulted in “a conviction amounting to absolute belief in God and the divinity of Christ.”

Don't know about you guys, but I think that is pretty cool. He got saved writing the book. Blessings, Pilgrim

 

[kisstheson]

Thanks Pilgrim!

I appreciate this! Yes it is really cool. I know how art and writing can effect a person for Christ. It happened to me.

Ben Hur is one of my favorite movies about Christ. I have lost count of how many times I have watched it.

 

[Junco]

You won't find the story of Saint Gertrude in the scriptures but Jesus does say in the Gospels, "Come to Me all of you who are weary and I will give you rest...I am gentle and humble of heart." Gertrude keeping vigil with Jesus can be compared with Christ who asked His disciples to keep watch and pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus giving Gertrude nourishment from His side is comparable to Him saying "My flesh is true food and My blood is true drink." Sleeping in the heart of Christ brings to mind John 15 "Abide in Me." And Paul, "We live and move and have our being in Him."[/COLOR]

This is all good. Do any of you people in this thread think that the Bride was Mary of Magdala?

 

[kisstheson]

This is all good. Do ou people in this thread think that the Bride was Mary of Magdala?

I think I can speak for most those who fequent this thread. We believe that Mary of Magdala was part of the Bride of Christ, probably the female disciple who was most bridal in her heart toward Jesus. But no, we do not believe she was married to Jesus. All those who love and obey Christ are a part of the one Bride.

Thanks so much for coming to the Bride of Christ thread, your comment and question.

Later tonight I have a beautiful picture of Mary Magdalene and some thoughts about her I want to share. Actually besides Jesus she and John the beloved apostle are my favorite people in the Bible.

 

[kisstheson]

Here is the beautiful picture of Mary Magdalene I promised. The artist Gabriel Rossetti spared no detail in his drawing. Actaully I wish I could have found a larger print of this picture. I used to own a copy and I will tell you there are details in this smaller version you can easily miss.

Rossetti has portrayed a story. The prominant figures in the illustration are Magdalene, the two young men clinging to her and the face of Christ in profile in the window on the right. Magdalene has come walking through the streets followed by a crowd of "partying people" most of them clinging to their lovers. Suddenly as she leads the way she comes upon the house of Simon the Pharisee and catches a glimpse of the Man whose face is framed by one of Simon's windows. One look at Him and she knows she has found her true Love! This is the One she's been searching for in all her wanderings and wayward life sytle. She knows it is this Man who must own her heart.

So we see Magdalene walking up the steps that lead to the pharisee's door and tearing a flower wreath from her head while two of her lovers try to prevent her from entering the house. The rose wreath represents the fading beauty of "worldly ways." The lovers at her feet have the same meaning. There is a deer beneath Simon's window. The deer brings to my mind the verse from the book of Psalms, "as the deer longs for the water brook so my soul longs after You."

Despite the crowd behind her, the two handsome well dressed lovers at her feet, Magdalene keeps her eyes only on Jesus. She is not distracted by anything or anyone. All she cares about is getting to Jesus! Dear Bride...may we too have this same love for Jesus and leave behind all that would distract us from Him!

“W[SIZE=-1]HY[/SIZE] wilt thou cast the roses from thine hair?Nay, be thou all a rose,—wreath, lips, and cheek.Nay, not this house,—that banquet-house we seek;See how they kiss and enter; come thou there.This delicate day of love we two will share[SIZE=-2] 5[/SIZE]Till at our ear love’s whispering night shall speak.What, sweet one,—hold’st thou still the foolish freak?Nay, when I kiss thy feet they ’ll leave the stair.”“Oh loose me! Seest thou not my Bridegroom’s faceThat draws me to Him? For His feet my kiss,[SIZE=-2] 10[/SIZE]My hair, my tears He craves to-day:—and oh!What words can tell what other day and placeShall see me clasp those blood-stain’d feet of His?He needs me, calls me, loves me: let me go!”

 

[InHisPeace]

That's all beautiful, especially that artwork, Amy. I have seen that one before and it is absolutely lovely!!

Despite the crowd behind her, the two handsome well dressed lovers at her feet, Magdalene keeps her eyes only on Jesus. She is not distracted by anything or anyone. All she cares about is getting to Jesus!

Beautiful.

Do any of you people in this thread think that the Bride was Mary of Magdala?

Yes, I do.

 

[kisstheson]

Hey Steph!

It's great to see you here! Yes, I love this picture and the poem by Rossetti. Now that's my kind of artist!