Husbands loving their wives …

Brother to Brother.

Gentlemen, I write this as a reminder (perhaps not so gentle but since men often miss the subtleties in life) of what our creator has in mind when He joins man and woman in the blessing of marriage. God did not just create you, and He did not just create your wife, (having designed both while knowing at the same time of that design that the two of you would one day be married; a sobering and wonderful thought, huh?) He also designed the marriage you are in and has specific plans for that marriage (how is it to look, sound, affect all those involved in it and are touched by it).

in Ephesians 5:15-17 we are told “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but be like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do”

shortly after, we read in Ephesians 5:25-26 “for husbands, this means love your wives , just as Christ loved the church. He gave up His life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.”

then in verse 28, “in the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.”

These verses are not the definition of a godly husband. They are the starting point. They are the starting line up in a marathon race that all husbands must start from the moment the gun goes off. How well each of us runs that race depends on how important the runner holds to his course (it’s purpose, cause and reason for the very marriage), where he receives his coaching from (including God’s Word, his running mates (who can encourage him or discourage him) such as brothers in Christ, pastor, christian counselor, etc , his prayer time (time spent directly with God in all three persons), and then there is the wife herself, who holds great power to respect and submit to her husband which can be just as lifting as he is to lift her in his submission to her needs.

There is a race to be run, (1 Cor. 9:24, Heb 12:1) man of God out there reading this. How will you run it, this life-long olympic event that cannot be run without God’s power (see Zech 4:6, and Phil 4:13)

This devotional from Knights of the 21st Century came to my iPhone this morning.

I am privileged to share it with you.

The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one. This is never seen more clearly than in marriage. Many husbands would take a bullet for their wives, but can’t seem to bring themselves to take out the trash for them. They express a willingness to go to the ends of the earth for their lover, but can’t find the time to go to the mall with them. I call all Knights to LIVE humbly for a noble cause. Nobility is demonstrated in the nitty gritty of life; in the things that seem insignificant and inconsequential!

in His service, Dave Cadieux