September 28: Engaged to Jesus

For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy, because I have promised you in marriage to one husband — to present a pure virgin to Christ. But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be seduced from a complete and pure devotion to Christ.  (2 Corinthians 11:2,3 — Holman Christian Standard Bible)

If you are a Christian, you are like a young woman engaged to be married. Your future husband is the Lord Jesus, and when He comes again the great marriage banquet will take place. Several Bible passages speak of this. We are to think of ourselves as pure and holy virgins that belong only to Jesus. Just as a young woman who is engaged to a fine young man keeps herself for him alone, we should keep ourselves for Jesus alone.

Paul expresses a fear that the Corinthian church will allow themselves to be deceived, and has a godly jealousy for this church that he worked so hard for. Though we are saved and seem to have a strong faith, this passages teaches us that it is possible to be deceived and fall away. Like Eve was deceived by the serpent, by the attractiveness of the fruit, the lure of being like God, and the lie that God was being unfair, we are also being attacked in very much the same way. If we do not “watch and pray” like Jesus said to His disciples in the garden, we are taking huge risks.

How can a person guarantee that he will remain strong in faith? Just like our physical bodies show signs of hunger — our stomach growls, we feel weak, we start to notice the smell of certain foods, we get a headache — our spirit also shows signs of hunger. The problem is that most people are completely in the dark concerning any signs of spiritual weakness and malnourishment. In general, humans are pros at noticing physical hunger and amateurs and noticing spiritual hunger. Things like fear, depression, anxiety, giving in to temptation, a lack of desire for God and church, addictions, anger, pride, selfishness, and similar things are signs that we are spiritually malnourished and are in need of serious help. Whenever we see these attitudes raising their heads, we need to completely destroy them.

Make sure you are a pure virgin saving yourself for the Lord Jesus Christ. Be diligent in eradicating anything that would interfere with your purity and devotion, or that would cause you to be attracted by anything or anyone else.