Joel
Emily, my beloved, you take my breath away. For me, you define beauty. I delight in your smile, your voice, the calm comfort of your presence. I love your infectious cheer—and your gentle tears. Your insight amazes me; your industry inspires me; And I love the way you crinkle your nose when you laugh. But of all your qualities, three have always stood out to me: Your quiet integrity, your caring heart, and your love for Jesus. Truly, you are a precious jewel.
Today, that jewel is being entrusted to my care. Emily, I am utterly unequal to this responsibility. Without Jesus living in me, my vows are as frail as ropes of sand. So before I pledge my heart to you, I must surrender it to Him.
Emily, before God and these witnesses, I promise to pursue the Lord with all of my heart, in every endeavor, for as long as He gives me breath. I submit my life to the control of the Holy Spirit, and I commit to following His lead, wherever that may take us. With your help, I will make Christ the center and foundation of our home, so that on that soon-coming day, when I stand before God, I might be able to say, “Here I am, and the family you have given me.”
By God’s grace and in His strength, I, Joel, take you, Emily, to be my wife. I vow to love you with Christ’s agape love, regardless of feeling or circumstance; to lead you, humbly and tenderly, as God leads me; to provide for you through His enabling; to serve, honor, and cherish you as the daughter of God that you are; and to be faithful only to you, as long as we both shall live.
By God’s grace and in His strength, I will make it a priority to daily demonstrate my love for you with my time, my words, and my actions. I will seek to cultivate gentleness; to speak, act, and make decisions in a way that invites you to bloom, not wilt. And I will take up the mantle of being priest of our home by spearheading family worship, lifting our family up in prayer, and leading the way in pointing others to Jesus.
I love you, Emily.
Emily
Joel, I am honoured that God brought you into my life and that you are the man that I am marrying. There are so many things that I love about you. You truly are one of the godliest men that I know. I love how gentle and generous you are; your heart is kind. Your wisdom and logical thinking continues to inspire me. Your mind is incredible. I love your ability to lead, but also to listen. I love your sense of adventure, sense of justice, and knowing how to make everything just right. Joel, I accept you and love you for who you are and you have my ever-growing respect.
Joel, I realise that we are two imperfect human beings, and that without Christ’s love in my heart and without His strength, it will be impossible for me to be the wife that God has called me to be.
So, not only am I committing my life to you today, but also re-committing my life to God. It is my desire to place Christ as the first priority in my life; to pursue a growing-relationship with Him. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I want to be a loving, godly, and cheerful wife. I sincerely want our home to be a sweet place, where angels will feel welcome. It is my prayer to not only prepare for heaven with you, but for our relationship be a little bit of heaven-on-earth.
By God’s grace and in His strength, I, Emily, take you, Joel, to be my husband. I vow to love you with Christ’s agape love, regardless of feeling or circumstance; to respect and honour you as the priest of our home, with gentleness, humbleness and mercy; to serve you, encourage you, and treasure you as the man of God that you are; and to be faithful only to you, as long as we both shall live.
Joel, I vow to love you by showing you tender affection, to love you by telling you just how proud I am of you, to love you by being a godly wife, and to love you by respecting you as the leader of our home.
I love you, Joel.