18 Jun Husbands and Wives, Love One Another
In this series of articles, we are exploring God’s love for us and his call for us to love one another. Let’s talk about the importance of love in the marriage relationship. Paul gave us some instructions about how to have a godly marriage:
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansingher by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself…. Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. (Ephesians 5:25-29, 33)
Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Just as Jesus sacrificed himself for the church, so husbands are called to selflessly love their wives, and wives are called to return that love and show respect to their husbands. Selfless love like this brings profound joy and peace to our marriages. When both husband and wife sacrifice and serve for one another, both their needs are fully met.
When spouses love each other selflessly, we don’t just help ourselves; we also help others. We show our children, friends, and others that we are true disciples of Christ. They discover and experience the love of God through our love. Jesus explained it like this:
“A new command I give you, Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)
Most of us will spend more time with our spouse than anyone else. Brothers and sisters, let us fill our days with love and kindness. Let’s seek to be encouraging, warm, and patient with each other. As Paul reminds us,
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:2)
Sometimes we have to “bear with” one another’s mistakes, sins, and quirks; other times, we have to apologize for our own mistakes and sins! Our humility in apologizing will allow us to have a grace-filled, peaceful marriage in spite of our occasional failures!
God’s guidance in my marriage to my wife, Geri, is one of the greatest blessings in my life! Without God’s help, I wouldn’t have known how to develop a joyful marriage. But God has graciously taught me to love my wife and to humbly listen to her advice, and he has taught her to do the same with me. By God’s astounding grace, we will celebrate our fiftieth anniversary this summer! I share this with you because God’s ways work. I pray you will put his loving ways into practice and experience the rich blessings of God in your marriage.
*Watch the video discussion with Sam and David HERE!
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