Husbands, Love Your Wives
Wives, be subject to your husbands as
you are to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is
the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. Just as the church
is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their
husbands.
Husbands, love your wives, just as
Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy
by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the
church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the
kind yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish. In the same way,
husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his
wife loves himself. For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and
tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, because we are
members of his body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a great
mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. Each of you, however,
should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband.
We can grow lukewarm to our faith and
that can lead to all kinds of misadventures. Just because you believe that you
deserve to be happy does not mean you can have an affair. There are ways to
protect your marriage. Always listen to your spouse. Encourage your spouse by
focusing on positive qualities. Date your wife by celebrating your marriage and
make sure that you play and laugh together. Guard your marriage and establish
safeguards by setting clear boundaries of what you will do and what you expect
from your spouse. Make sure you educate yourself about your spouse by truly understanding
her. Satisfy the needs of your wife, and she should meet your own needs. The
grass on the other side may look greener, but sometimes it is only Astroturf,
meaning man made and not God made. Faithfulness to God and commitment to your
spouse alone will bring peace of mind and satisfaction.
Jesus Christ
is the only third party in a marriage who can make it work.