The Painful Lesson 1 - How Faithful is Faithful?

Sometimes the Bride can get spoiled. Yes? Anybody known (or been… gulp) a bride that the bridal party just wants to smack and say “just look at you! Listen to yourself. You are that Bridezilla.” Or a wife who is flirting with infidelity and you just want to scream at her “You don’t realize how good you’ve got it! Don’t throw this away! Don’t throw him away!”

She tries to have both. She doesn’t really think her behavior will hurt her marriage. It is just coffee. We’re just friends. My husband will understand- he loves me.

Read Jeremiah 7. (Start there. If you can’t stop, by all means go ahead and keep reading. We will be pulling from chapters 7-33 in the next several sessions. And, Dear One, read however much you want to. In preparation for today’s study, I couldn’t stop either.)

Lets hone in on verse 24.

24 “But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward.” NLT

There is no keeping one foot on both sides of the fence. It is either helping your relationship with God is it is harming it. He is your Groom. How faithful are you going to be?

So have you been flirting around?

Before you say a quick, defensive “no, of course not!” consider this.

Has your time in God’s Word given way to an extra push of the snooze button?

Has your conversation slowly morphed into that which would not be honoring to God?

Are you wholeheartedly praising Him with your words, actions and thoughts?

I think we all hold a measure of guilt in one or more ways.

So now that we've got that cleared up, and are through pointing fingers to someone else, let’s work on ourselves, fellow Brides.

The passages we will be looking at from Jeremiah are written to Israel before and during their exile to Babylon (see Daniel 1 if you are unfamiliar with the story.) What I want you to do is put yourself in Israel’s place throughout this entire session so you can apply the spirit of what is being said.

God offers a warning. Keeping up appearances isn't enough. God is not fooled, and it hurts Him deeply, as well as those who care about you.

Read Jeremiah 8:18-22. Jeremiah is speaking, and says

18 “My grief is beyond healing;    my heart is broken.” NLT

So if it hurts an onlooker that badly, imagine how deeply it hurts the One being cheated on. Yes, God.

21 “I hurt with the hurt of my people.    I mourn and am overcome with grief.”  NLT

But you want hear the part that gets me the most?

The Bride has no shame whatsoever. She doesn't even feel embarrassed. (Jeremiah 6:15 and 8:12)

I am going to close here today. What I would like for you to do is prayerfully consider where you are at today. What is the status of your relationship with your Prince?

Are you being faithful to your Groom? And how faithful?

Hebrews 10:22 “Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.” NLT