Submission: God’s Way Part 3

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Husbands love your wife just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. (Ephesians 5:25)

Okay husbands, before it slips off your tongue, before it even crosses your mind, before you even remotely tempted to think for one second, my wife has to submit to me, please read the verse above. Now read it again. Now say it out loud. Men, we may have difficult assignments throughout our lives, but is there a more intimidating task than the command to “love our wife just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her?”

There are seemingly endless implications from this passage, but here are five:

  1. PATIENCE: Christ is patient with us when we sin and fail—–and we do so often and repeatedly. Husbands, we are to show Christlike patience, a calm endurance with our wives as God works to grow them.
  2. PURIFICATION: God purifies our hearts and our minds daily. We are called to gently lead and encourage our wives towards holiness just as Christ continually purifies us.
  3. PROTECTION: Christ protects us in so many ways, physically and spiritually. In turn, we are to protect our wives from bad influences, as well as unprofitable relationships or activities.
  4. PERMANENCE: once we are His, we are always His. Jesus NEVER give up on us, and just as His love for us is permanent, our love for and commitment to our wives and to our marriage are to be permanent.
  5. PERFECTION: Christ is the only one who accomplished it. Obviously, we will never hit perfection in this life, but as the spiritual leader in our home, we are to strive with all diligence to be growing, disciplined, Christlike examples to our wives.

so, husbands, before we get excited about being the leader of our wives, think of the great weight of that responsibility. May we humbly beg the Lord’s grace as we seek to love our wives as Christ loved the church.

LOVE IN ACTION

  1. Wives tell your husband three ways that he is a good leader of your home. Husbands tell your wife three areas in which you desire to grow in your servant leadership.
  2. Wrap up this three weeks look at submission by making a meal together. Cook, eat and even clean up together, then praise God for establishing roles in marriage. Then turn off the light and enjoy dessert.

P R A Y E R

God, servant leadership, I see it modeled in your son, Lord God, I want to follow His examples. Please keep my pride and self sufficiency out of the picture and help me be a good steward of the wife you have entrusted to my care.