Lessons from a missionary marriage proposal!

We had a missionary couple from New Tribes Mission with us at church for a few days this week. Their names are Rand and Debbie Burgett; here is their website for more information:

www.ntm.org/Rand_Burgett

Their mission work is fascinating, extremely useful, and the kind of things we don't usually think of.  Debbie is a writer and editor for the NTM Magazine, and Rand does computer software development to help the missionaries in the field work more efficiently. He is currently finishing a project that translates Bible maps into tribal languages and is beginning work on smart phone applications that make learning languages much quicker, allowing the Bible teaching in the tribes to start much sooner. Visit their website and learn more; possibly the Lord would have you help them.

In presenting information on their work, Rand retold the story of his wedding proposal to Debbie. We can learn something from this!

Rand was working as an engineer at a church at the time, but was sure he would work in some more purely missional endeavor in the future. With this in mind, he added to the typical "will you marry me" the following warning - "if you do say yes, there are two things you need to know: first, know you will never have any money; and second, know you will end up living in a grass hut some day!"

Now as the Lord had other plans, they do not live in a grass hut, but in missionary housing at the NTM headquarters in Florida, and I suspect they have at least some money. However, Debbie entered into the marriage believing and accepting the fact that it would be just as he warned her it would be.

Does this kind of marriage proposal, with a warning before saying yes, have a correlation to the invitation to become the bride of Christ?

When we say yes, “I do" to Jesus Christ, what else are we saying yes to?

2 Tim. 3:12 - Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. (Bold added for emphasis)

John 15:19 - If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you...

Phil. 1:29 - For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

Rom. 8:16 - The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Matt. 16:24 - Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

I could go on with an almost never-ending list of scriptures that describe what to expect if we are to say "I do" to being the bride of Christ, but I think we get the point!

If we say "I do", does that mean we will be constantly persecuted, always hated and suffer 100% of the time? Probably not, but we need to say "I do" with the full understanding that it could look like that and value our marriage to the Lord enough to say yes, even with such a strong warnings to us.

I am not poor. I don't live in a grass hut. I have a few things in my life that I would describe as suffering, but they are small compared to what many other Christians suffer and nothing compared to the sufferings of Christ. However, things could quickly change. Would I still say yes?

What about you? Will you say yes to being the bride of Christ now? Even if it means losing much or all of what you value in this life? I don't want to suffer needlessly or be poor just so I can feel proud of my sacrifice, but if the Lord would have me give up anything or everything, what would I say?

He has asked me (and you) in His word to be willing to do just that, and here is my answer: In this moment, I say yes to being His bride, even in the face of suffering, persecution and sacrifice as He brings it. I pray I remain willing and able, by the power of His Spirit and for His glory alone to be His bride, and with this understanding of the proposal He has given, I gratefully say yes and "I do"!

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."