"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it." – Ephesians 5:25 (MEV)
Christian husbands are commanded to love their wives just like how Christ loved the church. This is something so self-explanatory: As every Christian's aim is to be more like Christ with each day, it's common sense to strive to be like the Lord in all that we do.
For married husbands, loving their wives the way Christ loves His bride is the way to go.
An exciting journey
Fellow husbands, I know that sounds pretty challenging. After all, we're not Christ, and we're not perfect and sinless like Him. We might reason that since we're not Jesus we can't love like He does, but seriously we need to believe that if the Word of God commands us to do something, we can do it with the strength that God supplies through His Spirit.
Loving our wives the way Christ loved us is very exciting. We get to see ourselves grow in character while seeing our respective beloved wives blossom in the love we shower them with. Not only do we please the Lord when we do that – we also bless our own lives as well:
"In this way men ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord cares for the church." (Ephesians 5:28-29)
Are you excited to love your wife the way Christ did? If you are but don't know where to start, here are some practical ways to do that.
1) Set your sights on her alone
Christ's love for His bride, the church, is unique. His love for His bride, the church, is different from those who do not belong to Him. For example, He said those who believe in Him (essentially people who belong to the church) are saved, while those that don't aren't (see Mark 16:16). Think about the good things He does to those who belong to Him.
In the same way, we need to separate our wives from others. Of all the people we know, our wives deserve the best that we can give. The love we give to our wives is different from what we give to others. We must set her apart from other women, even our mothers.
Best of all, let's train our eyes to look at our respective wife alone. Her beauty is the one we must long to see always.
2) Be willing to give yourself up for her sake
Next, we should be willing to give up our comfort and even what we want for the purpose of doing what's best for our wives. Christ gave up His own life so that our sins could be forgiven, our lives would be saved, and so we could be restored to the Father as His children.
In the same way, we should be willing to give up our own comforts or pleasures to meet our wife's needs. Give up that remote and listen to her share her day. Say "no" to the boys' bowling party so you could say "yes" to that dinner date with your bride. Quit the overtime and come home early to prepare dinner for your wife who's busy with the kids or her own job.
It's worth it, believe me.
3) Commit to bring her to the Lord always
Last and most importantly, do all that you can to bring her to the Lord always. Pray for her. Pray with her. Seek God together. Read the Bible together. Share your insights on the Word of God with each other. Start a family altar. Worship together at home. Give each other time to pray. Help each other fast. Do all that you can to bring her to the Lord!
