as a teenager he had really messed up
his life with drugs, how embarrassed
his parents had been after he had
been stopped at 3:30 a.m. on the street
trying to make quick money selling
marijuana, and how as he sat in the
police station with handcuffs, his
mother arrived and with tears pleaded
for him. “Yes, God is good!” Being
under eighteen, the judge only gave
him community service.
Words of Scripture kept ringing in his
ears, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation; old things have passed
away; behold, all things have become
new” (1 Cor 5:17). “I will never leave
you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5)
and “There is a friend who sticks
closer than a brother” (Prov 18:24).
He remembered a song he had heard
at Church: “Closer than a brother, my
Jesus is to me, He’s my dearest friend
in everything I need. He’s my rock, my
shield, my hiding place; closer than a
brother Jesus is to me!”
He looked at the beautiful girl beside
him, decked out in bridal array, the
bridesmaids, the flower girl and
the page boy carrying the ring on a
cushion. He glanced behind him at
the large crowd of relatives, friends
and well-wishers and he thought, “The
same God, who carried me through all
those new beginnings at school, in the
new neighbourhood, and oh yes his
new job, would be leading him into a
more intimate relationship with Him.”
Another glance at his bride filled him
with a sense of elation, as she smiled
back at him. They would become
more intimate as they left their old
lives behind and began their journey
together into the future.
The words of the marriage officer fell
upon them. “When you are married,
forsaking all others you will hold
firmly to each other.” He thought
deeply upon those words. It meant
leaving the influence of the past
behind, clinging closely to his wife.
remnants of drugs he had kept hidden
in his bedroom.
He listened intently as the meaning
of the marriage ring was explained.
“That one alone steps into that ring of
intimacy with you. It is a commitment
of separation from everything
that would distract you from total
surrender to each other.” And he
remembered the closing words: “The
wedding ring has no end. It is an
eternal commitment to your beloved
one.”
Did not the Israelites after leaving the
bondage of Egypt go after other gods
and serve the idols of materialism,
following the surrounding nations?
He had firmly decided to turn his
back upon the love and accumulation
of things, worldly pleasures and the
lusts of his own eyes. And if his father,
mother or close relatives forsook him,
Christ would hold him in the palm of
His hand as a precious gem.
He felt just then that he could fall on
his knees and just worship the Lord of
heaven and earth who had created such
wonderful things, especially his bride.
Right then as he squeezed her hand,
he breathed a prayer. “Oh Lord, I give
myself to you. I love you, Lord, and I
lift my voice to worship You, O my soul
rejoice. Take joy, my King, in what You
hear. Let it be a sweet, sweet song in
Your ear.”
The words of Christ rang deep in his
soul: “If anyone comes to Me and does
not hate his father and mother, wife
and children, brothers and sisters, yes,
and his own life also, he CANNOT
be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). And
he understood clearly what the Lord
meant. In comparison with how he
loved his relatives, even his own wife,
the depth of love for Christ would
make the love of every other earthly
person or thing seem like “hate.” Jesus
Christ would be the supreme love and
joy of his life.
In a few moments the vows echoed
clearly, “Do you take this woman..?”
“Do you take this man..?” and the
responses of the couple, “I do!”
It was so quick. But the words sealed
the binding of their hearts and their
lives forever. He felt the impact and
depth of those precious moments and
he remembered the moment that he
had given himself completely to Christ.
His eyes had been moist as a friend,
who had been delivered from a
wild,rebellious life, prayed quietly
with him. The years of rebellion
against his parents, the Church, and
society, his excursion into the world of
pornography and immoral living that
had seemed to trap him into a cycle
of wanting more of fleshly lusts, were
gone forever. Christ had strengthened
him to overcome all things. With that
new beginning he had never gone
back to his old friends and their way
of thinking. He had thrown away the
He had said the words of commitment
and surrendered everything to Him as
Lord. That was better than any “high”
he could get from any drug. When
they stood outside the Church taking
photographs, he knew he had the
support of every true child of God, and
that angels in heaven, who ministered
to believers, would set up cam \