Covering

My grandmother told me once of something what she did when she first married my grandfather a long time ago. She said that she was a virgin when they married and she was terrified about her wedding night. Because she had never been with a man before, and because they had been raised to dress very moderately, she was embarrassed to expose herself to my grandpa. She said that in order to make herself feel more comfortable about beginning that night with him, she wore two gowns to bed that night instead of one.

We might chuckle at her approach at intimacy with him, but in reality, the Bride of Christ does the same thing with her new Husband, Jesus Christ. Has anyone ever wondered why Jesus cursed the fig tree that day when He was traveling with His disciples? Remember that in the Garden of Eden, what did Adam and Eve cover themselves with when they sinned? Fig leaves, which happened to be the worst covering Adam could have chosen. In Adam’s Perfect state, he would never have chosen a fig leaf because he would have known that fig leaves shrink in the sun. However in his fallen state, he chose the worst covering that he could have, not realizing that through the Light of God he couldn’t hide himself from God anyway. Jesus cursed the fig tree that day because it was a simple of an improper covering for sin that would simply no do. Instead, He provided the Proper covering when He gave Himself for His Bride upon the Cross at Calvary.

Many believers have no problem coming to Christ and giving their entire past to Him, all of their former sins and faults. However, it’s come to our attention that there are generally three areas that Christ’s Bride struggles in her walk after she marries Him. Like my grandmother, she looks for a second covering, being embarrassed by her faults and insecurities, thinking that there must be some way to cover all of that up. If the Groom is intimate with His Bride, He already knows what is there and is not offended by any of it, rather He loves her in spite of them. This is the mark of a True Lover and Soul Provider.

Jesus doesn’t view us the way that we view ourselves. We see ourselves as blank and tattered piece of canvas material, He sees us as a finished work of art that is priceless and is not for sale. He calls us Precious and we can’t be snatched from His Capable Hands!