That moment marked a turnaround point—not an immediate, full 180, but more like a Wall Street graph headed in the right direction. Yes, there have been—and continue to be—ups and downs. But my wife is the love of my life, and we’ve now been co-laboring side-by-side for soon-to-be 33 years!
Now we’re together “for the sake of the cause.”
What the Word Says
King Solomon was right:
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
Fellow pastors, preachers, evangelists, youth leaders, and Christian husbands in general: What does it profit a man to gain the whole ministry world and lose his own marriage? May we harken to the words of the Holy Spirit through the pen of the apostle Paul:
For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up His life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s Word. He did this to present her to Himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. And we are members of His body. As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. (Ephesians 5:25-32)
Whether we like it or not, our marriages either testify to the truth and power of the Gospel or call it into question in the eyes of those around us. May this fact cause each of us to examine our marriages and take the steps necessary to bring them into line with God’s will.
Prayer = Life Support
On our own, we can’t live out God’s design for marriage. But as we ask God for help, He grants us the desire and the strength. I pray the following prayer for my own marriage, and I invite you to do the same for yours:
Lord, help me to love my wife like Jesus loves the church, to sacrifice for her like Jesus sacrificed for the church, to work for her sanctification like Jesus works for it in the church, and to be one with her like Jesus is one with the church. In Jesus’s Name. Amen!
This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.
