Instructions for marriage part 2

Ephesians 5:25-30

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her  to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body.

This week I read a blog that aligned really well with what I was planning to write about this week.  Last week I started talking about the instructions we are given in marriage.  We talked about how the woman is to love the husband. 

This blog talked about how this Christian woman had decided to pursue a divorce because her husband had been repeatedly unfaithful and was caught in substance abuse.

The writer went on to talk about how the enemy prowls and how all of us (men and women) are susceptible to waywardness and the passions.  This motivated him to search his own heart.  He realized that in order to protect his marriage, he needed to keep God at the center of it.  To help himself, he took the time to write out vows.  Things like love big and stay small, get off devices and be present for his wife and children (Be Here Now!), seek quiet, stillness and solitude.  He went on with these vows of ways he was going to focus on his wife.

I thought this was a great read as in Ephesians, husbands are instructed to love their wives just as Christ loved the church.  He gave himself up for the church, to make her holy. 

We often hear about how men are the head of the household and women are to submit to their husband, however we often miss the part about how men are to love their wives as their own bodies. 

When we love our spouse and help them to keep God at the center of your relationship, you also love yourself and help keep yourself clean and blameless.