Pastor Greg brought us an excellent teaching last night on honor as it pertains to marriage. I spent some time in prayer about the subject and received something from the Lord which piggy-backs on the topic.
All too often, we get caught up on the legalistic doctrine of submission, and how the wife is to honor the husband. In truth, it’s difficult to honor anybody every day, without fail, forever. It can only really be done by a constant renewing of the mind through the Spirit of God. There are always going to be those days when you aren’t so impressed by the Godliness of your husband. I’m sure my wife could attest to the truth of that statement.
I’ve always heard the following verse from Ephesians Chapter 5 preached as a counter-balance of the calling of the wife to honor the husband. Preachers will say “men, you aren’t off the hook here. You have to love your wife as Christ loves the church.”
The point that I wish to make is that the love that Christ has for the church is so deep, so wide, and so limitless that a man would have to devote himself day and night through prayer, fasting, and discipleship to ever come close to loving his wife with the same love as Christ has for the church.
Check this out from Ephesians 5:
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.
Now, think about the love that Christ has for the church. What does he do for us? How about this:
1) He empowers the church: Ephesians 1: 18-19 says “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength.” If you had the thought of becoming a tyrant against your wife, oppressing her God-given abilities and the anointing and calling upon her life, you had better examine the love that Christ has for the church.
Empowerment is the opposite of oppression.
If your wife had an awesome anointing to lead thousands and thousands of people and was called to be the Pastor of a church, would that be a problem for you? What if she had a gift of prophecy or the touch of healing in her hands? Would you hold her back?
2) He gives Himself for the church: Romans 5:8 says ” But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Spend thirty seconds chewing on that verse in light of the teaching that I’m dropping on you right now, and it will blow your mind. Our love for our wives is to be as Christs love for the church, and Christ loved us so much that even when we weren’t doing what He wanted us to do, he still sacrificed his life for us. Can you honestly say that you love your wife enough to give your life for her, even if you’re angry at her? If not, you’re not there yet. Keep praying and fasting.
Self-sacrificing love is the opposite of selfishness.
Are you willing to be inconvenienced and a little put-out to demonstrate your love for your wife? Will you get up in the middle of the night to get the crying baby as a sacrifice of love to your spouse?
Please realize that the call to love our wives as Christ loved the church is a journey rather than a destination. Let’s get to the place where we can pray and fast for our families and dig into God for the renewal of our minds so that we can be better husbands and fathers.
What other tenets of the love of Christ can you think of that apply to the teaching we’ve just had? Bust out a comment and let me know what’s going on in your spirit.
