“Husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church…” (Eph 5:25)

“Would you bow with me?
And as we bow before the Lord I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are those of you in this room right here today who have said, “I am done.”
My prayer for you today is that you would readjust your focus, readjust your gaze and gaze upon the majesty and magnificence of Christ. You have not worshiped Him enough for who He is and for what He has done in your life. He has redeemed you from the pit. He has satisfied your soul. His divine power has given you everything you need for life and godliness. And yet you have chosen to focus your gaze on the imperfections of your spouse, who was never intended to be perfect.
Don’t you dare walk away! Don’t you dare give up! Don’t you dare lose hope! Don’t you dare because to do so is not just a rejection of your spouse here on earth, but it is a rejection of the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ who, in case you were wondering, laid down His life for his bride when she was still yet an adulteress and is in the process of sanctifying her, though she still from time to time wanders off pursuing other lovers. He shed his blood for her. He is seated at the right hand of the Father forever making intercession for her and He is going to come back for her, not to condemn her, but to embrace her and to bring her into Himself, into his bosom, to carry her off to the wedding feast of the Lamb. Not because she is worthy and she has satisfied Him in every regard, but in spite of the fact that she is not and she cannot.
She is precious to Him, not because of what she provides to Him, but in spite of what she cannot provide to Him. He makes her precious because of the price He pays.
Oh, God, don’t miss this! Don’t miss this! Don’t you dare miss this! Don’t you dare miss the One who loves you beyond your ability to comprehend it…

Father, as we bow before You we recognize, acknowledge and confess our unworthiness. We also recognize and confess our utter hypocrisy in being a spouse who is unworthy and yet at the same time being on the verge of rejecting a spouse who is unworthy. May we fix our gaze upon the magnificence and the majesty of Christ trusting You to work in us both to will and to do your good pleasure…We want to obey You, not out of fear or out of pride, but out of gratitude to the One who redeemed us from the pit.
Help us to hear and to heed what You say to us today and bring glory to Yourself through our lives. We pray in the name of the Magnificent One, the Majestic One, the Bridegroom, the Lover of our souls who died to redeem us and lives to reclaim us.
In Jesus’ precious name we pray.
Amen”

(From a wonderful sermon by Rev. Voddie Baucham, Grace Family Baptist Church, Houston Tx)