So I have been pondering this word “relentless” since Peg gave us this topic in early August. Needless to say, I overthink just about everything. When I hear this word my thoughts go to the phrase “Relentless Bride” that has become so popular with the prophetic art of James Nesbit. This Christian artist depicts the church as a beautiful bride ready to marry her King. The bridal season for the church is a topic of many teachings since events in our daily lives tell us that our King is coming soon. What makes me a little nervous is whether or not the bride is actually “relentless” in preparation for her King?

It would be easy to speak about the church and the areas that need improvement but it may be more effective to just look into the mirror and examine myself as part of the bride. Am I being relentless in my own personal relationship with my Bridegroom? This is where the rubber meets the road! Our faith is more than religion; it’s relationship.

I want to be part of the relentless bride. I want to be prepared with oil in my lamp when the Bridegroom comes. To be ready means I must be relentless in my pursuit of relationship. I don’t think Jesus wants to be unequally yoked. He was relentless in His assignment and obedience to the Father! He was relentless in His desire to please the Father. He was unyielding in His obedience even to the point of sweating blood! So great a salvation He has purchased for us and we out of love for His unspeakable gift should be unyielding in our pursuit of a vital relationship that is demonstrated through our every action. In Him we live move and have our being. Our Bridegroom demonstrated the love of God in every action…we are His and must be inspired to be relentless to fulfill our destiny as His bride.

I have always been partial to the bridal imagery in the scriptures. I relate to it much more than to the Body of Christ. As a bride, we are encouraged to be motivated by love: God is love. As a Body, sometimes I think that the church focuses too much on activity and not relationship. I have had seasons in my walk with the Lord that I felt more like the Body and times now when I feel more like the Bride. I know that the church is described as both in scripture but I do believe that this is part of the mystery of Christ and the church. There are those who are motivated as the body and those that are motivated as the bride. I don’t have any deep revelation on why there is even a distinction in scripture. I do believe that this is part of the deep things of God and that God has His purpose for both.

As we mature in Christ, I want to believe that Christ begins to reveal Himself as the Bridegroom and we respond with a deeper desire to be His relentless bride. It takes a level of pursuit, determination and longing that is characteristic of a modern day bride who is no-nonsense, no holds bar at having a wedding of pure bliss! Truly that is our destiny: a beautiful wedding where we are presented to our Bridegroom without spot or wrinkle. Fulfillment of this destiny will be a result of our relentless

desire for deep fellowship with the lover of our soul. It will be relationship not religion that manifests the “Relentless Bride”.

I pray that each of us relentlessly pursue Our Beloved so that we can be transformed into His image and likeness and fulfill our destiny…a wedding of purely divine

eternal bliss!