“However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Ephesians 5:33
Sometimes it’s human nature to build up a tolerance to discomfort. We have a physical ache or pain and we ignore it or stop worrying about it until we simply forget about it. We don’t actually fix the problem — we just learn how to deal with it. In some cases, ignoring these problems can have life changing effects.
It can be easy to treat problems in our marriages the same way. We can be tempted to say, “We’re ok. We’re not yelling at each other tonight, so we’re good enough.” We can see the signs of disunity and ignore them, with hopes that it’ll “just go away”. In reality, we’re not addressing and fixing the problems; we’re just temporarily dealing with them to keep the peace. Men and women, that is NOT the kind of relationship God wants for you and your spouse.
Men, did you know that God tells you to love your wife like Jesus Christ loves His church? Women, God tells you to respect your husband and let him lead you like the church respects Jesus and follows Him.
Besides dwelling on the fact that he is made in the image and likeness of God himself, nothing gives your husband more of a sense of value and security than knowing the woman he loves has unconditional respect for him. This should be a wake up call for all of us. We should take this very seriously. God wants you and your spouse to be united.
Thomas Adams said, “As God by creation made two of one, so again by marriage He made one of two.” If you’ve ever stuck two pieces of duct tape together and tried to get them back apart, you know that once those two pieces become one, they stay one. You will destroy the tape before you get it apart. This is what God wants for our marriages. He wants us to be so committed to one another that no matter what happens, we are impossible to separate. That’s His plan for your marriage.
If you are going through problems in your marriage, don’t just put a band aide on it and hope the problem goes away. Instead, decide to fix it and trust that God is powerful enough to give you the strength and grace to work it out. If you need help, talk to one of your pastors, deacons, or small group leaders. We want to see you win in your marriage. Men, let’s love our wives like Christ loves the church. Ladies, respect your husbands.
Working with you,
Billy
Posted in A Word from the Pastor