Love your wife as Christ loved the church

Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. This is the verse right after the one that I blogged about two weeks ago. Christ’s love for the church has many descriptions but it is not reciprocal love. Christ loved the church before we had done anything worthy to deserve it. He loved sinners and died for sinners. We are the church when we believe in Him. Husbands are to love wives not because they are perfect and can do no wrong. You are to show us love especially when we least deserve it. That is your ministry in case you were wondering, you minister to us by showing us the love of Christ.

This kind of love is agape love, God’s perfect and unconditional love. Why is this kind of love so difficult to achieve? It is because you need to die to self, to put the interests of the other person before yours.  Paul in Ephesians goes on to say that husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. Paul says that;”no one ever hates his body but he feeds and cares for it just as Christ does the church”. Husbands take care of your wives and not as possessions which are only seen and not heard. We are not an item to be ticked off on your ‘to do’ list of success. We should be as precious to you as your body is.

I am sure we are all curious to know what this looks like. Our shining example-Christ, gave up everything to come and redeem the church. This was not a one time event, Christ came as a baby and had to go through all the stages of growth to reach adulthood. He fully committed to the course day in and day out. He didn’t have good days and bad days, He was on the job twenty four seven. Over Easter we celebrated His death and resurrection, we know the cost paid, the humiliation He endured and not for Himself but for the very people who crucified Him.

As wives we should resist the temptation to make unreasonable demands on our husbands. Remember just like us they are not perfect. This describes the ideal situation, what is aspirational. Remember wives are to submit, so my advice is focus on your own calling and you will inevitably reap the benefits of holy matrimony.