Husbands – Called to love your wife

Ephesians 5.25-33

        The incredible, amazing, sacrificial, predetermined, not fully understood, not fully discerned, undeserved, overwhelming love of God has been demonstrated to us through Jesus Christ. The adoptive love, the forgiving love, the love full of blessing, the love given before the foundation of the world, the love never ending, the love never failing, the love never dependent, the love always giving, always caring, always reaching, always holding are only a few descriptive words for the wonderful, comforting, protecting love of the Lord. Knowing His love, Paul said, Husbands, love your wives, even also as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for it (Ephesians 5.25).

        The Lord is the example given for instructions in the relationship between husbands and wives. Husbands are to love their wives in a similar manner as Christ loves us. The husband’s love should be pure, fully directed to his wife and to none other. It should be a jealous love to protect her and help her through every stage and experience of life. The husband’s love should be overflowing, never limited by his own selfishness or ungodly desires. It should be obvious love and without doubt that the husband loves his wife. His love should be secure for her, giving her confidence he will never leave her or forsake her, but will ever be present with her, to help her and do all he can to provide for her needs. Loving her is not about just doing what she wants but being the husband the Lord has called him to be; it is not just speech with empty words, but a life with full and true commitment. To love as Christ loves begins with understanding Christ’s love. The more the husband learns of Jesus, the more time he spends in the Word of God and in intentional prayer, the more he will learn the meaning of Christ-like love and truly love Christ. The effect? In growing in love for Christ, the more the husband will desire to know his wife, truly love her, and fully, unreservedly, sacrificially love her, and grow in his love for her.

Knowing and living Christ’s love – we have much to be thankful for –
Terry