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I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

Many women will not look more beautiful in their life than they do on their wedding day. They chose just the right dress. They carefully do their hair and their makeup. They want the man with whom they will promise to spend the rest of their life to have his breath taken away by what he sees when she walks down the aisle.

The Bible regularly describes the Church—believers in Jesus—as the bride of Christ. As we stand before Christ, we are clothed in the most beautiful dress. But it’s not because we spent so much time and effort making ourselves look good for him. We can’t afford anything more than filthy rags. Compared to the life that God’s commandments expect of us, that’s what our lives are—filthy rags. We can’t stand before the altar looking like that.

But Christ himself provides the dress for us, his bride. That dress is dazzling white because it is washed clean with the pure and holy blood of Christ himself. He lived a flawless life in our place. There was not a single stain of lust or lies, of hatred or greed in his life. Jesus Christ took his flawless, holy life, and he offered it in death as the sacrifice for our sins. Because God accepted his perfect sacrifice, his blood covers all who see him as their Savior. It cleanses us of our lust and lies, our hatred and greed, and every other impurity that stains our lives. And now, cleansed and covered by the holy life of Jesus, we stand before him beautiful, radiant, stunning.

That’s how Jesus sees all who see him as their Savior. He delights in us the way a groom beams at the sight of his beautiful bride on their wedding day. And that smile will never fade from our Savior’s face. Every day, you are forgiven and made clean to stand before him. And one day, he will come back to welcome you home, where you will dwell with him in perfect joy forever.

Dearest Jesus, you chose me to be your bride and dress me in your perfect righteousness. Encourage me with that truth every day until I see you face-to-face. Amen.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.