A king once wanted to find a bride for his son, the prince. The prince set out on a journey to find a bride for himself. On knowing of the impending visit of the prince, the aspiring brides went to great lengths to make themselves presentable. They put on their best attire, adorned themselves with the best jewelry, and hoped to qualify to be the royal bride. As the prince was walking past these beautiful young women, his eyes fell on a not so pretty woman who was shabbily dressed. Moreover, this woman was known for her promiscuous lifestyle. She was least qualified to be the royal bride. But the prince walked over to her, took her by his hand and put his ring on her finger. He had her washed clean and purified according to the royal rites and dressed her in royal clothes. It felt like her slate was wiped clean of all guilt, condemnation and social stigma. The prince promised to return and take her home to be his bride in a few months.
Soon after the prince left, this young woman started thinking about everything that had happened. She thought about how unqualified and unworthy she was to be the bride, considering her ugly past. She thought that perhaps the prince did not know her past and she should confess to him every rotten thing she had done. She looked at herself in the mirror and thought that she should perhaps make herself more presentable to the prince. She hired a beauty professional and got cosmetic surgery to correct her flaws and enhance her beauty. She hired another professional to train her how to walk like a princess, dress like a princess and talk like a princess. She hired a fashion designer to clothe herself with expensive clothing and jewelry. She hired a life coach to teach her how to have an intimate relationship. She was busy with the 'WORKS'.
At the appointed time the prince came back to take her home to be the bride. To his utter astonishment and disappointment, what he saw was a totally different person than the simple girl to whom he was engaged. She had taken off her royal garment that he had given her and was instead dressed in designer clothing. She was arrayed in purple and scarlet color and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls (Rev 17:4).
With a sad countenance the prince said, "I loved you despite your past; I chose you to be my bride, I washed you, made you clean -- without spot or wrinkle. Wasn't my cleansing and beautifying work enough to make you beautiful? I put my ring on your finger and accepted you to be my bride when you were least qualified. Why did you have to go out and do all these things to make yourself qualified and acceptable to me? I had already accepted you the way you were. Wasn't my acceptance of you enough? Weren't you satisfied with the royal garments of righteousness that I had clothed you with? Why did you have to put on these other garments of your self-righteousness? They are disgusting like menstrual pads (Isaiah 64:6). Why did you have to fornicate with the world (law system) and it's consultants to become something that I have already made you to be? Your error is the same as that of the other women who thought they could be my bride by their own works and virtues. I say to you REPENT from your dead works"
Reposted from: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=482323140277
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