This week’s devotions are based on Week 9 of the Series Ephesians: Becoming Who You Are (CLICK HERE)
Every day we interact with someone. Perhaps those are passing “hello’s” in the store, but many of our interactions are with people that are part of our family or people at work. In the world around us, their is great strain on marriages and families, employers and employees. All too often, these relationships break and divorce happens, children cut off communication with their families, and workers leave their jobs.
Our section of Ephesians this week can come across as a “quick fix” for our relationships. In some ways it is. But at the heart of our relationships must be our genuine effort to reflect Christ in all of them. Why? Because Satan and our sinful nature are working overtime to engage in these relationships in a selfish way which leads to the design of God to be twisted, corrupted and ultimately broken. Especially in our culture today, we need God’s people to grow in Christ and the ability to reflect Christ in their relationships.
Let’s start with marriage.
Here’s what Paul says in Ephesians 5:22-33:
22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Our culture bristles at the word “submit”…so let’s leave that until tomorrow. While Paul addresses women first, I want to speak to husbands first (or guys who are preparing themselves to be a great husband). Every husband must prioritize growing in their relationship with Christ. Better than he knows his wife, a husband should know the Lord. Guys, let me encourage us (I will include myself), the best way we can provide for our wives is to invest in our time with the Lord. Why is that? Because Christ’s love for us is our model in loving our wives. Satan loves to twist this precious role God has given to us into a power trip where one can feel “entitled” to demand the following and service of their wives. Satan loves to get me to believe that I am in a marriage to be served by my wife (no wonder the word “submit” gets a bad wrap – because we are guilty of making it that). However, every husband must take a step back and ask, “How did Christ love me? When I answer, I discover two things:
- He gave all of himself up for me…he was willing to sacrifice!
- He put my interests above his own…he was willing to be selfless (not selfish).
So, what is our calling? Love your wives as Christ loved the church…JUST as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Christ’s goal was to make his church a beautiful bride. His heart’s desire was the beauty and perfection of his church. So it is our wonderful blessing to reflect Christ to our wives so that as much as possible they see the love of their Savior exuding through us to them.
By the way…let me know how your marriage is when you embrace time with your Savior and being intentional in expressing his love to your wife!
Apply: Husbands, what is one thing you can do today to strengthen your relationship with Christ? What is one way you can show a sacrificial, selfless, Christ-like love to your wife?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your great love for all of us, but especially us who have the privilege of being a husband. Forgive us for our failures to reflect you and lead us to prioritize our relationship with you so we can better love our wives just as you have loved us! AMEN.