Where’s the reset button?

Ephesians 5:31–33 (NASB 95)

31 FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

Genesis 2:22–25 (NASB 95)

22 The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 23 The man said,

      “This is now bone of my bones,

      And flesh of my flesh;

      She shall be called Woman,

      Because she was taken out of Man.”

24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Examine / Explain

Paul reached back to Genesis and quoted Chapter 2 verse 24. His reference was that two became one and as believers, we should live the same with Christ. When we place our faith in our Savior we are His bride for eternity. With His love for us, we are to have reverence toward Him. This is the example He gave us in marriage. In our marriages, husbands are to love sacrificially and wives are to respect husbands.

What’s my response?

The more I study God the more amazing this world becomes. His finely tuned creation has meaning and purpose repeated throughout history and in everything. From the beginning, God established the gospel within the first people. Adam submissive to God became a husband to his bride. The one flesh became two and through marriage we become one again. God is at the center of our common unity. We are one body with our spouse. What we do to ourselves we do to our spouse. How we treat ourselves is how we treat our spouse. So, if I am constantly living in a state of survival mode and not feeding my soul, that would mean I am only loving my wife enough to get by. Not that I am neglectful, rude, or malicious to her but it’s all business. What do I have to do right now to make it to tomorrow? What do I have to do to make it to the next paycheck? What does it take to get by? I’m not saying we don’t still go on dates or vacations, but where is my mind? What’s my motive? I’m living sacrificially but to what satisfaction? Where’s the reset button? I need to clear my mind. I have to stop for a second and feed my mind, soul, and body with the important things. Jesus was never in a hurry. He always walked and stopped to address the things as they came. He loved no other reason than He is love. “You can judge the character of a man by the way he treats someone who can do nothing for him” Simon Sinek. Jesus’s character is love. He loves His bride. He sacrificed willingly for her. He sanctifies her. He is satisfied with her. He fed His soul. How often does the New Testament mention that Jesus went off to pray and be alone with God? I’m not feeding my soul. I need to go off and be alone with God more than sitting here in the mornings reading my bible. I need to do the things that uplift me. What good am I if I’m not operating in my fullest capacity? How am I loving my wife? How am I leading my family? How am I ministering to others? Out of an empty well? A shallow well? I need to be an overflowing well!

What’s my response?

Dad, help me feed my soul! Is it pride and selfishness that have gotten me off track with this? Is it that we live in a broken world that glorifies busyness and I have tried to keep up? Is it that I only see the broken things around me so I’m pulled down not lifted up? Not that the broken things are detrimental to my daily life but my manliness needs to fix everything all at once. It’s impossible to do that. Is it my tendency to focus on one thing that distracts me from the joys in my life? I can’t put my finger on it but I know You can. I need a reset button pushed. God help me get my mind right. Help me start feeding my soul on a regular basis. I need You to do something in my life. I pray that I take up Your offer when it comes. Amen.