Ephesians 5:25-28 The Message
25-28 Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already “one” in marriage.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Husbands and future Husbands … God’s message for you this day is to give quite literally everything you have, everything you are, everything you will ever come to have — in love and truth, honor and honesty and integrity, in sickness and in health, in wealth and in poverty and and give it all unto God and unto your wife.
Why such a seemingly insurmountable standard of living?
Because that standard of living is exactly that standard of living which God’s only Son, Jesus Christ, gave to His Father and gave to you of His own free will, without conditions, bearing everything, with complete and utter sacrifice, on the Cross at Calvary. He gave everything He had in faithful obedience to God.
That is the highest standard of living for us Husbands and you future Husbands in the care and the nurturing and strengthening, cleansing them with the Word of God, preparing our Brides for God, presentation of our Wives before our God.
Do we hit the mark?
Do we know where the mark is?
Do we know with any certainty what the mark even looks like, or resembles?
Do we even know that there is a mark?
Are even aware and do we even care that there is a mark?
Be made aware now, Husbands and future Husbands; God is ALWAYS aware!
A Word to Husbands and Future Husbands
Ephesians 5:25-30 New American Standard Bible 1995
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.
Guys, by God’s grace, every Christian marriage is about more than marriage.
The purpose of human marriage is to point away from itself to the ultimate marriage made in heaven: that of Christ, the Bridegroom, and the church, His bride. Marriage, in other words, is about God’s ultimate purpose “to unite all things in [Christ], things in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:10).
This is why the Apostle Paul offers very specific instructions for Husbands and future Husbands: so that their marriages might display the union God intends.
In marriage, the husband’s primary objective is not to make sure his wife is physically and emotionally sustained. That is one part of it, of course—but his ultimate objective should be that his wife will be prepared to meet Jesus.
To that end, the word that Paul uses for “love” here, agape, is important: it expresses self-sacrifice and self-abasement. It’s about what we give, not what we get. It’s about what we owe, not what we’re due. It’s not about seeking what’s good for you; it’s about giving yourself up for what’s truly good for your wife, so that she might be “holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27).
This was the purpose for which Christ gave His life for His church; and, as a mark of this, it’s what a Husband is to give himself up for, pursue for his wife.
But as you are a Husband, have plans to be a Husband, will soon unite with your fiancé to be her Husband, how do you become that living witness of the fullness of this Christ like love in this way in the day-to-day immorality, reality, of life?
One practical step is to look for the absence of “NAG-ing”.
Philippians 1:27-30 New American Standard Bible 1995
27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one [a]mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. 29 For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
That is, you must renounce neglect, physically, emotionally, and spiritually—and, if career, club, or church responsibilities interfere, you may need to re-evaluate your commitments.
You also need to renounce abuse, which, while including more egregious sins, also encompasses belittling your wife, talking down to her, treating her with disregard, or acting as if she’s really fortunate to be married to you.
And finally, you need to ensure you never take our God and your marriage to your wife for granted, which can become so easy, too easy, as time goes by.
Yet as helpful as such practical reminders are, the ultimate yardstick for, and motivation to, love is the cross-shaped love of Christ for His bride, the church.
Without a clear view, a clear vision, a profound measure of wisdom, of how Jesus loves His church, our best intentions flounder, our failures will crush us.
So we must look to Christ, who, although He needed no one and nothing, came and gave literally everything of Himself up in order that we, in our need, in our rebellion, and emptiness, may be caught up in His embrace, welcomed into His heart, brought into His family, and considered a presentable part of His bride.
Philippians 2:5-11 New American Standard Bible 1995
5 Have this attitude [a]in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be [b] grasped, 7 but [c]emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death [d]on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Do, are you, finding yourself saying, “Why would He ever love me like that?”
If so, you see what a high calling it is for Husbands to “love your wives, as Christ loved the church.”
So if you are a Husband, or hope to be one day, it must start with prayer: prayer that the Holy Spirit will enable you to think biblically, live obediently, and truly love selflessly.
And if you are a wife, or hope to be one day, this should likewise be your prayer for your Husband, or Husband to be for the sake of your mutual joy and his, and your mutual strengthening and bonding, but #1 most of all is all for God’s glory.
From the Beginning; for God, Marriage is a Holy, Sacred Union
Ephesians 5:25-33 Amplified Bible
25 Husbands, love your wives [seek the highest good for her and surround her with a caring, unselfish love], just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify the church, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word [of God], 27 so that [in turn] He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy [set apart for God] and blameless. 28 Even so husbands should and are morally obligated to love their own wives as [being in a sense] their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own body, but [instead] he nourishes and protects and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members (parts) of His body. 31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall be joined [and be faithfully devoted] to his wife, and the two shall become [a]one flesh. 32 This mystery [of two becoming one] is great; but I am speaking with reference to [the relationship of] Christ and the church. 33 However, each man among you [without exception] is to love his wife as his very own self [with behavior worthy of respect and esteem, always seeking the best for her with an attitude of lovingkindness], and the wife [must see to it] that she respects and delights in her husband [that she notices him and prefers him and treats him with loving concern, treasuring him, honoring him, and holding him dear].
Marriage is a sacred union created and designed and shaped exclusively by God, a mirror reflection of his love and commitment to his people. It is a covenant relationship that calls us to sacrificial love, selflessness, and mutual support.
In a world that often prioritizes severe immorality, self-gratification, marriage is meant to envision the deep beauty of sacrificial love. As husbands and wives, we are called to follow the example of Savior Christ’s love for the church by our giving of our whole selves fully for the well-being, flourishing of our spouse.
Marriage is a covenant journey of growth, forgiveness, and shared experiences.
It is a covenant partnership in which two uniquely created individuals strive to understand, honor, and cherish one another. It requires open communication, vulnerability, sacrifice and commitment, to work through challenges together.
In the highest highs and lowest lows and bottomless cisterns of married life, we find opportunities for growth, grace, and deepening intimacy. In the context of marriage we learn how to offer selfless love, encouragement, mercy, to extend forgiveness, and at all costs, to support one another’s dreams and aspirations.
Matthew 5:13-16 Amplified Bible
Disciples and the World
13 “You are the [a]salt of the earth; but if the salt has [b]lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people [when the walkways are wet and slippery].
14 “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Today let’s honor the sacredness of the covenant of marriage.
May we embrace the call to love, serve our spouse, imitating Christ’s selfless love. Let’s cultivate a spirit of humility, understanding, and compassion in our relationships, our marriages reflect the reality of God’s love, and faithfulness, bringing honor, glory, to him, serving as beacons of hope in a broken world.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 84 Complete Jewish Bible
84 (0) For the leader. On the gittit. A psalm of the sons of Korach:
2 (1) How deeply loved are your dwelling-places,
Adonai-Tzva’ot!
3 (2) My soul yearns, yes, faints with longing
for the courtyards of Adonai;
my heart and body cry for joy
to the living God.
4 (3) As the sparrow finds herself a home
and the swallow her nest, where she lays her young,
[so my resting-place is] by your altars,
Adonai-Tzva’ot, my king and my God.
5 (4) How happy are those who live in your house;
they never cease to praise you! (Selah)
6 (5) How happy the man whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are [pilgrim] highways.
7 (6) Passing through the [dry] Baka Valley,
they make it a place of springs,
and the early rain clothes it with blessings.
8 (7) They go from strength to strength
and appear before God in Tziyon.
9 (8) Adonai, God of armies, hear my prayer;
listen, God of Ya‘akov. (Selah)
10 (9) God, see our shield [the king];
look at the face of your anointed.
11 (10) Better a day in your courtyards
than a thousand [days elsewhere].
Better just standing at the door of my God’s house
than living in the tents of the wicked.
12 (11) For Adonai, God, is a sun and a shield;
Adonai bestows favor and honor;
he will not withhold anything good
from those whose lives are pure.
13 (12) Adonai-Tzva’ot,
how happy is anyone who trusts in you!
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 