Church Body: Part 1

Revelations 19:7; Philippians 4:8

One metaphor for the body of the church in relation to Christ is as his bride. A bride prepares herself to be lovely and appealing for the man she is promising a lifelong union with. As Christians, of course we know that it is only through Jesus’ blood that we are made beautiful enough for our eventual union at his return. However, as a body of believers, we should always be seeking to allow Christ to transform us, step by step, into something closer to his vision of loveliness.

Questions for further thought:
1. Do you ever think of loveliness as a virtue you are working toward?
2. What does it mean for the church to be lovely as the bride of Christ?  

Challenge: If you have a hard time thinking of your soul as something that God finds to be lovely and worth loving, pray for two things: Strength to change what you think is ugly in your life and perspective to see what about you is excellent or praiseworthy.