Ephesians 5:25-33
I love and dislike this passage simply because as I find it to be absolutely true I struggle in living up to it's instruction. I love this passage because very simply Paul instructs us to love our wives unconditionally. No where in the passage does it give room for feelings or circumstances another words it does not say love if you are loved, love if you feel like it or if your wife does something in return. However I find it interesting that most men focus on the last part of the last verse, "Wives respect your husbands." It's as if we put this as the qualifier for love, well if she would respect me then I will love her. What a terrible way to look at this passage. My wife should respect me because that is what the Bible instructs her to do but it does not say that I should love her because she respects me. I guarantee that if I love my wife as is described in this passage then respect will come so much easier for my wife as well as many other benefits. The problem is I am selfish and want it my way and my theme song becomes Frank Sinatra's hit "I Did It My Way." I want something in return for my hard work and instead of looking to God for that return I look to things around me, like sex for example. We should love whether we get anything in return from this life or not because that is how Jesus loved the church. My motivation for loving my wife should not be her, or the return but rather just simple obedience to Christ.
Father teach me to love my wife as you loved the church. May I learn each day to love her without expecting something in return. May my love for you grow and may that love cause me to love my wife more each day.
And just for the record, PJ is a very loving husband! I am shown and reassured of his love for me each and every day! I am so proud to be the wife of such an amazing man! =D
ReplyDeleteI wonder if part of the reason this passage is so difficult for some people to live out is that deep down inside they hate themselves or maybe they love themselves too much (I know this happens frequently in the world, but I am speaking specifically of Christians). It is shameful the number of Christian divorces and the number of Christian homes that suffer through infidelity. We don't know how to love ourselves properly so, as a result, we don't know how to love our wives. This is why it is critically important to learn what it means to be a man biblically. Our families need desperately to have men who love their wives as they loves themselves and, more importantly, as Christ loves the church. Well done, PJ...you're getting it!!!!
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