The Bride

Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls

containing the seven last plagues came and said to me,
“Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
So he took me in spirit to a great, high mountain,
and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem,
descending out of heaven from God.
It was filled with the glory of God
and sparkled like a precious gem,
crystal clear like jasper.
~Rev. 21:9-11

Everlasting Joy Upon Their Heads

For waters will break forth in the wilderness

And streams in the Arabah.
The scorched land will become a pool
And the thirsty ground springs of water;
In the haunt of jackals, its resting place,
Grass becomes reeds and rushes.
And the ransomed of the LORD will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
With everlasting joy upon their heads.
They will find gladness and joy,
And sorrow and sighing will flee away.
-Is. 35:6-7 & 10

Lord May I Be Radiant

“No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket.
Instead, it is put on a lampstand to give light to
all who enter the room.
Your eye is a lamp for your body.
A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul.
But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness.
Make sure that the light you think you have is not really darkness.
If you are filled with light, with no dark corners,
then your whole life will be radiant,
as though a floodlight is shining on you.”
-Luke 11:33-36

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart;
good news makes for good health.
-Prov. 15:30

“...anyone who belongs to Christ
has become a new person.
The old life is gone;
a new life has begun!”
-2 Corin. 5:17

Your Light...

“Is this not the fast which I choose,
To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke,
And to let the oppressed go free
And break every yoke?
“Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him;
And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
“Then your light will break out like the dawn,
And your recovery will speedily spring forth;
And your righteousness will go before you;
The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
“Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you remove the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,
And if you give yourself to the hungry
And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness
And your gloom will become like midday.
“And the LORD will continually guide you,
And satisfy your desire in scorched places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
-Is. 58:6-11

Oh, the joys of those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with scoffers.
But they delight in doing everything the LORD wants;
day and night they think about his law.
They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season without fail.
Their leaves never wither,
and in all they do, they prosper.
-Psalm 1:1-3