LAST WEEK OF THE OMER

May 28 – Iyar 27 – Omer 42   God gives all to His Bride

Father God began my lessons on the Bride one Sunday morning in 2021 when I had fallen to my knees before Him in worship.

He presented me with a small red brocade box. When I asked why, He said, “it is the Bride Price.”  I was confused.  I had only heard of this in movies, and I thought I was Jesus’s Bride. 

Over the months to come, Father God taught me about being “His” Bride.  One of the lessons that really marked my heart was that “God gives all to His Bride” because she belongs to Jesus.  And because she belongs to Jesus He edifies, enlightens, protects, and sustains what the Father has given Him.

Romans 8:28 MSG That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

Romans 8:28 TPT 28 So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together for good, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose.

May 29 – Iyar 28 – Omer 43    Eternal Purpose

Lance Wallnau uses the analogy of Hebron, Jerusalem, and Zion for different Believers. 

Those in Hebron know the way of Salvation, saved and going to heaven.  They know “The Way”.

Those in Jerusalem are going after the more of God. They know “The Truth” and are looking for more. 

And those in Zion are positioned to experience God’s heart and His Presence, the power of “The Life.”

The Bride is in Zion. The Bride has learned to love Jesus, like Father God loves His Son.

The Bride knows her identity. The Bride is prepared to rule and reign. The Bride is prepared to reign with Him through Eternity. 

Another metaphor for those in Zion is “Firstborn.” Not always in the natural, but Heaven’s Firstborn. They get the double blessing, which is the supernatural ability for God to get something to you that you will steward for others in the family. They are interested in releasing the power of “life” into other people. They are consumers of His Presence. 

Yet, another metaphor for those in Zion is “Jesus’s Inheritance.” Jesus’s inheritance is a people who fully love Him, equally yoked in love. Loving Jesus in obedience is a valuable virtue to possess. You serve because of the love you possess. Voluntary love, in the spirit of obedience, is a powerful weapon, do not underestimate the reality of telling Jesus, “I love you.”

Those preparing as the Bride to be Jesus’s Inheritance are empowered by the New Covenant to love God. They fulfill an eternal purpose. 

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, 

and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.

Matthew 22:37-38

Ponder the following verses about how God’s love has prepared “The Way, The Truth and The Life” for us, His Bride, for His Eternal Purpose.

Ezekiel 36:26 

Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Psalm 2:8

Ask of Me, the Father, and I will assuredly give You, Jesus, the nations as Your inheritance,

Italics are mine.

Deuteronomy 32:9

For the LORD’S portion and chosen share is His people; Jacob (Israel) is the allotment of His inheritance.

For all things belong to you,  …  or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. 
1Corinthians 3:21,22,23 NKJV

May 30 – Iyar 29 – Omer 44  The Bride Prepares 

Since God holds the church accountable and judgment begins in the church The Bride must be prepared.

The bride is responsible for her own preparation.

Time for self-judgment – one way is by examining ourselves through partaking of The Lord’s Supper.

Keep short accounts and take time to partake of the Lord’s Supper often. 

But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

1Corinthians 11:28 NKJV 

Clothed with righteous acts – 

For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.

She was given clothing of fine linen, bright and pure.

For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.

Revelation 19:7,8 BSB 

The righteous acts of the saints are an overflow from her walk of faith. 

We are saved by grace and justified by faith for good works.

Every good work done by every single saint goes to make up the perfect glory of the Church.

Our righteousness, which we obtain by faith is imputed by Christ. 

Holy Spirit equips the Bride–

When Jesus prayed in John 17, He promised us that the Holy Spirit given to the Church would equip us and bring us to the fullness of Christ. Holy Spirit empowers us to prepare for the marriage of the Lamb, and our responses to Him in the process transforms us from glory to glory into the likeness of Christ. 

Holy Spirit teaches, and reveals, helps us to remember, filling us with power, helping us do the works of Jesus and greater works. He will help us to separate from worldly things giving us joy and peace.

May 31 – Sivan 1 – Omer 45  Holiness Is Spiritual Beauty 

so that [in turn] He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy [set apart for God] and blameless.

Ephesians 5:27

In our choice to become His bride, we are looking to become “wholly holy.”

Learning to be set apart for God can sound like stringent dos and don’ts, but it is in fact just the opposite; it sets us free, because we can only do this by the Spirit and where the Spirit is there is freedom. 

When God gives us something to do we can’t do on our own, it is a set up for Him to do it with us.

God calls us to be “holy, for I am holy.” In our weakness and inadequacy, He reflects His glory and strength through us, advancing the Kingdom through us, His Bride. 

The Church is to be sanctified, cleansed by the Word, glorious, holy and without blemish.

Continually pursue, make every effort, to live in peace with everyone,
and to be holy;

Without holiness no one will see the Lord…

Hebrews 12:14 paraphrased from NIV and AMP

Are you up to the task?

Can you hear the call today?  “Be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). 

And know that He has made a way for you to be “wholly holy.”

June 1 – Sivan 2 – Omer 46  Attitude Adjustment

Being “The Bride” is a heart attitude.  

Just like Mary and Martha, it is not about serving vs sitting at His feet. 

It is the attitude in which we operate. 

Martha was serving with the wrong spirit.  

Think about it, how different might the story read if she served out of love for the Lord?

We all want to just sit at His feet, but we all have ministries. 

However, when we make it a point to do everything on our daily agenda “unto the Lord,” and “with excellence,” our attitude changes, and so does our lifestyle.

Choose love today.

June 2 – Sivan 3 – Omer 47  Kinsman Redeemer

The Book of Ruth is traditionally read on Shavuot.

The story is about a woman with unfaltering loyalty and great character. 

While Ruth, when women aren’t usually recognized in genealogy, is meaningfully a part of King David’s and Jesus’s lineage, there is yet another important circumstance within Ruth’s memoir.

She was a Moabite.

From the tribe of Moab. The tribe’s dark beginning was out of an incestuous relationship; confined to territory to the south of the Arnon Valley; they were a pagan nation. Their lust for power and conquest threatened Israel’s possession of the Promised Land. In much of their history they were hostile to Israel. Jeremiah 48 reveals God’s disgust with their polytheistic worship and proud attitudes. Moabites were estranged from God. 

Yet out of this paganist background, God raises up a woman to be an example of love and faithfulness; by being redeemed. The widow, Ruth, was redeemed by her “kinsman redeemer,” and brought into the lineage of Jesus and God’s chosen people. Revealing God’s love for all people who seek Him.

All of those estranged from God have hope in our “kinsman redeemer,” Jesus, to be redeemed into the lineage, married to God, and sealed in the Holy Spirit.   Blessed be God. 

June 3 – Sivan 4 – Omer 48  God’s Chosen 

Shavuot is in two days. 

This is when the Jews accepted the commandments at Sinai; they were no longer just descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Now, they became “God’s chosen people,” who had chosen God in return, and would study and abide by the laws of the Torah as part of their service to the Almighty God. 

It was a national decision to rightly join with God in marriage.

When we give testimony, it sets up the atmosphere from which that was spoken to happen again. 

Pray through and Declare this comes to pass for our nation.  

America will make a national decision to be rightly joined, as God’s chosen people, married to God.

June 4 – Sivan 5 – Omer 49  

Week 7

Tomorrow is Shavuot. The marriage of God to His Chosen People.

Just as Passover was like a “dress rehearsal” for the Crucifixion of the Lamb of God. 

You can look at Shavuot much the same way, too. 

Since the first Shavuot 2448 (1313 BCE) we have been “rehearsing” for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

Together, Moses and Joshua, with the 70 elders in the Presence of God ate a Covenant meal. God was saying, I am going to teach you about relationship, obedience and Covenant Love. 

Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up [the mountainside], 

 and they saw [a manifestation of] the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, just as clear as the sky itself. Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the Israelites; and they saw [the manifestation of the presence of] God, and ate and drank. … So Moses arose with Joshua his attendant, and he went up to the mountain of God.  Exodus 24:10,11,13

Around 1500 years later, John writes about the Bride who has covenanted with God, and through her obedience, relationship and love she has made herself ready.

Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, [the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all] reigns. Let us rejoice and shout for joy! Let us give Him glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb has come [at last] and His bride (the redeemed) has prepared herself.”  She has been permitted to dress in fine linen, dazzling white and clean–for the fine linen signifies the righteous acts of the saints [the ethical conduct, personal integrity, moral courage, and godly character of believers].

Then the angel said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Revelation 19:6,7,8,9 AMP

The time has come – tomorrow we celebrate.