Ephesians 5:
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 [a]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. (NASB)
Here we find a real failing of mine. I remember about the time I became noticeably interested in living a Christian life. My wife told me that if I were to “go overboard” with it there would be real trouble. Before you go too hard on her, please understand that she and I are both on our 2nd marriages. When we met and married, neither of us were Christians and I certainly didn’t have any interest in it.
Her first husband was a professing Christian, who spent a lot of energy telling her about the things she was going to hell over. He is really over the top Arminian, who speaks constantly of what is grounds of God’s condemnation, in terms of what actions, or works, God finds acceptable and especially what God does NOT find acceptable. Of course, much of this is rooted in Mosaic law, and in the traditions of his church. To this day, he informs their daughter (my step-daughter) of all the things she does to would seemingly ensure her place in hell. This type of preaching is what I refer to as dangling the sinner over the lake of fire. If we really wanted to start down such a path, I could point to several character flaws of his as well, that by using his standard, I am sure he would be condemned as well. But I see little point in traveling down that path here. The point is that my wife is very anti-religion. In a way, I am as well, but with different outcomes. My disdain for much of religion results in my being a very non-denominational biblicist of a Pauline doctrine. Her disdain for religion is that she is almost like a worshipper of Ba’al (all the other gods) as she believes piecemeal from many different world religions.
If I am to be the spiritual leader of my house, I have failed miserably. I pray each and every day that my wife and my children might come to know Christ. I pray that I might be the method God would use. Each time, however, that I bring up the subject, I am promptly shut down. My wife has no interest.
I am reassured that even though I had no interest in God for a LOT of years, once He decided to introduce Himself, it was a done deal. I know this is also the case with my wife. If God chooses to introduce Himself, His will will be done. This knowledge is of minimal comfort though, given my zeal for the Word, and my desire to share it with my wife.
Young husbands, take the word of an old-timer. Take the time now, and save yourself some guilt later.
God’s peace be with you.
