Do I?

Ephesians 5:25–30 (NASB 95)

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are members of His body.

Examine / Explain

Paul has gone from the role of a wife and the example of us being the bride of Christ to the role of men loving our wives the way He loves us. Men are lead in the home they bear the burden of responsibility of the home. We are to live sacrificially for our homes and love our wives. We are to nourish and cherish our spouses. We are all co-heirs with Christ.

What’s the application?

I am often hard on myself about how I am leading our home. I should be doing more. But what does that look like? Does it mean busting out the whiteboard and having breakdowns of bible verses with the family? Is having healthy conversations enough and a sprinkle of scripture in them? Is it having forced spiritual conversations while in the car on vacation trips? Or is being an example of Christ to my wife enough? Do our children see me as nourishing and cherishing to her? Do my actions speak of a sacrificial love for my family? Do I love Angi as if she were my own body? We are one flesh. Do I live like it? Do I love myself? Do I take care of me? Do I feed my soul enough? Do I feed hers? How do I treat myself? Do I overindulge on the wrong things? Do I overindulge on the wrong things for her? Do I try to love Angi the way I want to be loved or do I study her and try to love her the way she needs to be loved? Am I living with her on a pedestal that is about Christ? Have I figured out how to serve her while keeping God first? Have I figured out how to serve her while keeping children second? Where is the balance of God, spouse, children, and ministry? Where am I not keeping the plain things the main things and main things the plain things? Do I overcomplicate what it means to love my wife? Do I under “perform” when loving my wife? Where am I not dying to self and lifting her up? Where do I lift her higher than Christ?

What’s my response?

Dad, help me love Angi the way you love me. Help me lead my family even though they are technically all adults. Never let me settle for good enough when it comes to feeding our souls. Never let our conversations not revolve around You. Teach me to be the husband You want me to be. Teach me to be the husband You want me to be for Angi. Help me study her and know how to nourish and cherish her. Teach me to walk the rest of this life as one body, one flesh until I breathe my last. Let our marriage and lives be an encouragement to others. Let our story and our marriage be a ministry to others. Let Your grace and mercy for us be encouragement to the next couple that struggles. Let us help the husband and wife. Amen.