"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, 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." Ephesians 5:25-27
We know there have always been two forces in existence since the beginning of time as we read Genesis — good and evil. Man and woman were created with a free will. God told them not to eat of the tree of good and evil. Eve was tempted, lied to, and deceived by the evil, satan. She then enticed Adam to join her. He had been clearly instructed by God, his Father, not to eat of that tree. (Genesis 2:16) He listened to the voice of his wife rather than the voice of God. He blamed her, and she blamed satan. When they were naked before this happened they had no shame, because they knew no evil. Afterwards there was shame from their nakedness and they hid from God. Therefore from this time forward we were born with a knowledge of good and evil, and have to make the choice between the two as we live our lives.
When God created the world and made man and woman He established the institution of marriage. Marriage was to represent the relationship between Christ and His bride, the church. There is no decision we make in life more important than the decision of who you choose to marry with the exception of choosing which force you will obey, good or evil, God or satan. God gave us instruction in His Word extensively on marriage and the family. At the top of this pyramid He must come first. Our relationship with Him must have precedence over all others. The man falls directly under God. He is to be the head of his home. He has the authority and responsibility that comes with that authority. There is no way a man can love His wife as God commands unless He loves God more than her. He must obey the greatest commandment in scripture to love the Lord God with his all:
"…You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."
(Deuteronomy 6:5)
This verse is declared the first and foremost commandment and is repeated multiple times in the new testament. Men must get this truth as the head of their home. They cannot allow the marital relationship to come before their relationship with the Lord. Adam listened to the voice of his wife over what He had been told by God. He chose to please her rather than God, and look at the consequences that choice made on all mankind to this day.
It is vital we all obey the first commandment, but especially the man because He is the head of his home. This is the key to our society and men are the key to the family. Families determine society. Why do you think there is such an attack on men today? If satan can get to the man he will destroy the family.
According to scripture man is commanded to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He gave Himself up for her that He might sanctify her. Why have we not been hearing this more from our pulpits? The husband is to keep his wife washed in the Word of God which is what cleanses and sanctifies her. Unfortunately it is usually the woman who strives to wash the husband in the Word, because the man focuses more on career and providing for the family. His priorities are upside down. What is eternal is all that really matters in the end. A big income has never saved a family, and oftentimes destroys it. The ulltimate goal for a husband is to be able to present his wife and their children before Christ at His coming without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, so they would be holy and blameless, because he has kept his home under the authority of the Word of God. As a result, it will keep his family unstained from this world. Just imagine the change we could make in this nation if the men would be given this instruction from God’s Word more often, and held accountable in our churches. If only we can help them realize making money and giving their wives and children things, and evolving into selfish ambition and empty conceit is not their calling from God. It is a deceitful lie from satan who is the prince of this world. Becoming a passive man living to please his wife rather than God is how we ended up being born with a sinful nature.
Men must marry a woman who wants God’s will in her life more than her own will. Our scriptures pertaining to wives are as follows in Ephesians 5:22 -24:
"Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything."
The greatest advice I can give to young women is make sure you love God with your all before marrying. That relationship must come first before you will be able to obey these scriptures. The second most important thing is to know that the man you are marrying loves God more than you. This is really important. He will never be the head of his home if he is trying to please you more than God. I think most of us know we can usually get our way if we want to, but only a foolish woman will want her will more than God’s will. His ways are much higher than ours. Know you cannot improve or change God’s truth. Our ultimate goal is to help our husbands to love God more each day, rather than focusing on ourselves. How greatly the entire family will be rewarded by making that choice!
" A wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands." Proverbs 14:1
Next in the pyramid of a family is our children. The greatest thing we can give our children as fathers and mothers is our obedience to the first and foremost commandment:
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?"
And He said to him,
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment." Matthew 22:36-38
Speaking as a mother of four children my goal was to become a funnel of God’s love to them. I tried to funnel His Words to my children rather than my own. The one thing I knew was I could not be a mother or wife without keeping my relationship with my Heavenly Father, and Christ my Lord and Savior my priority, and realizing my reliance on the Holy Spirit. I had to rely constantly on His revealing truth to me from God’s Word as I was constantly striving to keep it the authority in our home.
My prayer this morning is for fathers to go to His Word, and allow it to define what a man is to be. Then begin to get your home in order for His return! Focus on cleansing your family with God’s Word, and allow it to become the authority in your home for you, your wife, and children. God made you the spiritual head. Fulfill your ultimate calling that is eternal. Let him who sleeps sleep no longer before it is too late! Then we shall all look forward to His coming and not have to shrink back in fear and shame.
In His love.
"So then let us not sleep as other do, but let us be alert and sober" I Thessalonians 5:6
Teresa Roberts
Masterpiece Fitness
276-237-6680
My beautiful white dahlias are a daily reminder of the purity God adorns His creation with if we allow Him to.
