Marriage
Lord You know my hearts desire to be a husband, yet none of my relationships have ever been in your will. “Flee sexual immorality” (1 Cor 6:18) Your servant would say, but I did not flee. When the pressure was on, when I had an opportunity to either please myself or You O God, I chose to please myself. How could I be so blind? At times my intentions were pure, but I so foolishly led myself down the path to destruction. But You Lord, You remained faithful through it all, convicting my heart, and calling me out of the darkness and into Your light. The covetous attitude I presented was nothing more than greed and self worship... change my heart, in such a way that worshiping you becomes the greatest focus of my life and the only desire of my heart.
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also love the church and gave Himself for her, that he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the sword.”
Ephesians 5:25-26
“Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
Deuteronomy 6:5
Love, a selfless sacrifice for the good of the one loved. Lord what greater love could I show You or my spouse than to present to You a holy relationship. I should seek no greater goal in my life than to keep the one I love as far from sin as I can. I failed at that as you know. Yet I praise You, O merciful God, You do not treat me as my sins deserve, or repay me according to my iniquities (Psalm 103:10). By your mercy and grace I pray that you Train me in the way I should go, so when I am old I will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6) O Lord of my life, teach me your ways, Sanctify me by Your word, Your word (alone) is truth. (John 17:17) I desire to know Your truth and to live by it, but I know my works are futile and my desires are hopeless if it is not made complete in You, as all things are incomplete until made complete by You. I have a long way to go before I am able to love a woman in such a holy manner, pleasing to You. I pray that you prepare me to be such a man to the one you have in store for me. This is the cry of my heart, that you
Show me Your ways, O LORD;
Teach me your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day
Psalm 25:4-5
“Since divine love seeks to completely cleanse those who are loved from every form of sin and evil, a Christian husband should not be able to bear the thought of anything sinful in the life of his wife that displeases God. His greatest desire for her should be that she become perfectly conformed to Christ, so he leads her to purity.” John MacArthur
