God used many figures of speech throughout Scripture to describe the intimate love relationship between Himself and His chosen people. The most tender term is that of a "bride." This is clear in the book of Revelation: …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 (Revelation 19:7). And further we read: "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife" (Revelation 21:9).

Throughout the Bible God's people are likened by God to a bride for His Son. The clearest picture of this relationship is given to us in Hosea. There God says to Israel and Judah: "And it shall be in that day," says the Lord, "that you will call me 'My Husband,' and no longer call me 'My Master,' I will betroth (marry) you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord" (Hosea 2:16, 19-20).

God expects and calls for His people to be faithful to Him and to be cleansed from all their sin. His people are to be made ready for the Bridegroom (Lamb of God).

In Malachi God urged the priests, and the people as well, to "remember the wife of your youth…" (Malachi 2:14-16). One of the reasons for faithfulness in this "covenant of marriage" is that God is looking for godly offspring for Himself (Malachi 2:15).

There is so much for us to learn and apply from these pictures God has given us. here are some of those truths.

1. Each church is precious to God. Just as a bride is cherished and highly valued by her groom, so is every church, regardless of its size or wealth. I know of some churches that talk about themselves as if they aren't important. Yet any church that is loved by Christ is of infinite value.

2. Your church must keep itself clean and pure for Christ. Just as a soiled wedding gown would tarnish the joy and beauty of a wedding ceremony, so sin among God's holy people dishonors Christ and breaks His heart. At times God's people have proves to be more concerned about offending people than offending God. Many churches today pride themselves on the fact that people can worship God and express their faith any way they want to. This isn't what a true bride does. A faithful bride doesn't say, "I'll dress and act any way I feel most comfortable." She prepares herself to please her groom. Her preparation is just one of the gifts to the one she loves. God expects us to be spotless, holy and without blame.

3. God's people must not commit spiritual adultery against His love and His covenant relationship with us. Just as adultery in marriage is a heartbreaking experience, so God is grieved every time His people give their hearts to someone or something other than Him. God deserves our total and supreme allegiance and love. He won't accept our leftovers. he won't passively sit by while we let our heart chase after other concerns and pleasures. Our God is jealous for our love.

4. We are to cultivate our relationship with Christ. Just as a wedding ceremony marks the beginning of a relationship, not its culmination, so we must constantly seek to deepen our relationship with Christ. One of my favorite photos is of my wife Marilynn in her wedding gown on our wedding day. She was, as was I, full of joy and anticipation of our wedding. It was wonderful, and she had a right to my faithfulness. We've been married 46 years. I thought my joy could not be any greater than it was on my wedding day. But now I realize that was only the beginning. Over the years of our relationship God has richly blessed us. He gave us "offspring"-four boys and a girl, all currently serving in full-time Christian ministry. He even multiplied our joy with 14 grandchildren. This is God's doing! But we both must remain pure and faithful to honor what God has purposed through us and our children. We've nurtured our marriage relationship, and now it exceeds anything we could have imagined.

5. As the bride of Christ we should anticipate His return and God's marriage feast for His Son. Jesus is coming and we must be prepared for His return. how do we ready ourselves? We don't put off until tomorrow what we can do today. We strive to be blameless in our relationships, actions and attitudes so Christ can return at any time and we will have nothing in our lives for which we are ashamed. We strive to accomplish every task God has given us so there is nothing left undone when Christ returns. The church does not know the day or time of the Bridegroom's return, so it must be in a state of constant readiness.

6. Finally, we are to live before a watching world as a faithful "bride" to the Son of God. A true bride is not ashamed of her groom. She wants everyone to know to whom she has committed herself. She wants to live in a manner that honors him before all others. The world is watching the church and gaining its understanding of Christ. We must always live in such a way that we honor our Bridegroom.

Henry Blackaby, author of Experiencing God, is founder and president emeritus of Blackaby Ministries International. Visit www.henryblackaby.com for more information. Bible references are from The New King James Version.