All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, "Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name?"
Acts 9:21
Julie doesn't know how many hours she spent praying that God would show her husband the love of Jesus. But Gene wasn't your typical live-and-let-live non-believer. This was one hardened guy. Rigid. Stubborn. Extremely controlling.

Nothing had the power to crack that rough exterior. Not leukemia. He had weathered that crisis without noticeable cracking.

Not prostate cancer. If the door of his heart had opened any, it was barely recognizable.

But for some reason, when FamilyLife put on a marriage conference at the church Julie attended, Gene grudgingly agreed to attend. Not for the religious stuff. Certainly not for the cheap refreshments. Maybe he knew if he stayed home, he wouldn't have an excuse for not fixing the kitchen faucet. Who knows?

As they sat through the early sessions, he was bristling and arguing. He couldn't believe people actually believed in an actual devil who actually wreaked actual havoc in people's lives. What a convenient excuse for one's failures, he thought.

But in one of the last sessions, as the conference speaker was sharing about the wide chasm between God and man, the truth unexpectedly converged in Gene's heart. Even today, he's baffled by what happened at that moment.

While Julie was focusing on the message being delivered, Gene tapped her on the shoulder and directed her attention to three words he'd written in his notebook: "I GET IT." They were the three sweetest words she'd ever read.

They slipped out into a break room where they fell into each other's arms. He sobbed. She sobbed. He asked for forgiveness. She sobbed even more. And in another miracle of grace, God proved again that no one is beyond the reach of the gospel.

Not even a husband who wants nothing to do with it.

Discuss
Do you know a couple where only one is a Christian? Discuss how you could reach out and share the gospel with the non-believer.

Pray
Pray for marriages in which you know that a relationship with Jesus Christ is a major sticking point. And ask God to break through.