Make Her Holy
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
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.
When you have to take care of your
wife and you realize how much she does, be thankful she is there. You and she
are both one. She would do the same for you. Don’t give yourself too many pats
on the back about how good you are doing. The Holy Spirit reminds us that it is
our privilege and duty as Christian husbands to take care of our wives.
In Paul’s time, many believed the
husband’s needs dominated the household, and the wife existed to fulfill his
needs and to serve him. The Christian view was quite different, however. The
wife was transformed from an accessory to a person of intrinsic value, becoming
the focus of her husband’s concern. Instead of demanding that she live for him,
he was to serve her! As husbands pursue Christ-like behavior, they have the
privilege and duty to sacrifice, nurture, and care for their wives. If you
think it is possible to love your wife too much, you probably have not loved
her enough.
Our Daily
Bread – Saturday, March 24, 2007