Bridal Attire

These weekly devotionals I will be posting come from and are copyright to Pam Iannello, my pastor's late wife who went home to be with the Lord on June 18, 2008.


I'm going to be doing the Marriage Series for the next few weeks not only for you, but mainly for myself. I realize that there is so much I need to learn before I am married and that God's not done stitching my inward attire to make me presentable to Matthew. I've been trying to stitch my inward dress myself and I've made a mess of it. I never was good at sewing. But now I'm handing the needle back to God because I know He can take my mess and turn it into something beautiful that will cause Matthew to turn cartwheels.



This devotion is part of the "Planning a Successful Marriage" series.

We will carry on in our study of Psalm 45, focusing only on verse 9 today, as we begin our look at the psalm writer's advice to the bride. Even though some of you ladies may not have been give this advice prior to your marriage, it's never too late to apply it....

Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.

First of all, the best bride is a born-again bride; she is first betrothed to the Lord Jesus Christ! Mothers, be sure your boys have discerned the salvation of the women they wish to marry!! And be sure your daughters are born-again brides before you give them away. Oh, and by the way - are YOU betrothed to the Lord Jesus Christ?? Have you accepted the Lord's proposal to you as found in Romans 10:13? Did you tell Jesus "yes" or "no" when He invited you to be His bride for all of eternity?

Rev. 22:17
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Those that have accepted Christ's proposal are among the honorable women Psalm 45:9 refers to. An honorable woman will make an excellent wife, for she understands her position. As his faithful companion, she willingly stands at the king's right hand, in happy submission to the authority placed over her, just as Christ is found doing....

Romans 8:34b
....It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Hebrews 12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Yes, the daughters of the king were in attendance of nobility, they were among the respectable women and they dressed accordingly. As the king looked over at his queen, he was able to view her attire and find it most beautiful as well as proper and appropriate for her role as his bride. The Bible says she was adorned with the gold of Ophir, which was the most precious gold available to the Israelite kingdom. Spiritually speaking, every born-again believer is a member of the royal family of heaven! I'll ask you again - ARE you a member of the royal family today; ARE you really one of the King's daughters?? Knowing the Lord as your personal Savior is the most important foundation a bride could ever set up prior to her wedding day! And if you are a daughter of the King of Kings, your choice of attire should confirm it...

Jeremiah 2:32
Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.

After your inward wardrobe has been taken care of and you are covered with the garments of salvation, be sure that your outward wardrobe is also that which belongs to an honorable woman. Pick out your clothing with careful and holy consideration as a queen would. This is a lady who wears exceptional garments that stand out above all typical apparel and is worthy of her calling. That "gold of Ophir" mentioned was very costly and Christian lady, it will cost you quite a bit to dress in godly fashion as well! I'm not referring to financial cost as much as I am trying to convey that it will cost you giving up what you might PREFER to wear for what you SHOULD wear! But ladies, isn't it a sacrifice we should willingly make, knowing the sacrifice Christ made for us, knowing what it cost Him to pay for our sins?? "You mean to dress like the King's daughter is going to cost me my favorite jeans?? You CAN'T mean it's going to cost me my favorite black dress with the slit up the side that I KNOW I look so good in?! I can't give these beloved items up!"

Esther 5:1
Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's house…

The grieving truth is, many Christian women and girls aren't willing to make the sacrifice to dress like royal family and as a substitute dress in a manner that is contrary to noble character by putting on whatever the world dictates, or whatever "self" prefers to wear. Many array themselves in clothing that is either seductive or sloppy and not at all becoming to the King they are allegedly betrothed to!!! Ladies, remember WHO you are when you dress - do you look like an honorable daughter of the King or a harlot; royalty or ragamuffin?? Step back and consider the way your daughters are dressed, along with the clothing choices the women and girls in your church make. Certainly the church body should be honorably attired! Have the standards been lowered? Do they need to be raised? Are there any at all? Would we still make the same choices in clothing if you and I were to walk arm in arm down the aisle with Christ while wearing it?? Would He, as your King, be able to look over at you and consider you appropriately attired as His bride?? Ladies, ALL of your person, your whole self, your inward and outward adornment should glorify God....

1 Thessalonians 5:23
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:19&20
What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's.

If your soul has been united to Christ through faith, then it should be clearly evident by way of your body and your spirit; both should be cheerfully employed to honor your God! Of course, the Holy Spirit in us would persuade us to make a commitment to holiness. (Unless you are ignoring Him!) Actually, now that you are a Christian you have no right to dress like your body is your own because the Bible says it's not - it belongs to God and He will one day hold us accountable for the way we clothed what He bought with His own blood! Many of us spent quite a bit of time selecting the wedding dresses we wore down the aisle, didn't we? And what a pleasure it was! I went from store to store with my mother on many occasions, and with my girlfriends on other occasions searching for hours for THE perfect wedding dress. Oh, the chatter, the excitement, the "ooohs" and "aaahs" we uttered as we excitedly pawed through the racks looking for the perfect gown! As his bride, I wanted to please my groom with the beauty of my attire! Should I give God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, any less consideration?

1 Peter 2:9
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Ladies, we should put as much thought and effort into the way we dress AFTER we are betrothed, not just on the day we were married! Incidentally, now that you are married, how do you dress? Likewise, since you've been born-again into the family of God, how do you look?? Still wearing the same old things you wore before salvation? Some of us adorn our "wedding dress look" only on Sundays when we go to church to worship the Lord and then we dress like the world the rest of the week! Jesus still walks beside us in our homes, in public places, and everywhere we go. Remember that the next time you pick out something to wear, for we walk arm in arm with the King of Kings everyday! Is He glorified with your style of dress or dishonored? Clothe yourself with thought for the Lord - and your husband - make them both pleased and honored to have you by their side. If we were truly looking forward to the Lord's return, we would adorn ourselves in bridal attire…

God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2003 Meet Ms. Pam

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New Beginnings Baptist Church Website