God’s Design for Love Relationships and Marriages—Part 1

For the next 2 days I’d like to focus on a message for each gender when it comes to love as given in Ephesians 5:22—28 . Today let’s begin with WOMEN. Gents, you are welcome to listen in if you so choose.

Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.Ephesians 5: 22ff (The Message).

If you are not married, please note women that you are to make sure that you are giving yourself to a man who is committed to giving himself to you. The man is to be examined and inspected in his treatment of you so that you are sure that he gets the fact that you are worth dying for. I say this because the text is clear that although the woman is to submit, the man is to foster, and encourage this action. Like the rain nourishes a bulb to finally bloom to the fullness of that plant’s potential, so a man’s unselfish, agape (Godlike) love is to cause a woman to blossom to the fullness of her potential.

But if you are already married and you’ve found that your husband is a work in process when it comes to his understanding of his role in your life, please note that your actions play a key role in moving your husband to where God wants him to be. Remember that God loved us when we were still sinners (Romans 5:8), that Jesus taught His disciples that they did not choose Him but He chose them (John 15:16). Clearly, God loved us into becoming what He desires for us to be. Your key approach, then, is to love your husband into what God desires for him to be, or to love him into his Ephesians 5 role. That means treating him as if he already is what you desire him to be, even though he still may constantly disappoint you and still has all of his flaws. God will use your reflection of His agape love in the life of your husband to push him to be the person/husband/lover God desires for him to be, and that you long for him to be.

So ladies, if your desire is to enjoy God’s design for love relationships and marriages, take a moment to pray that He will empower and guide you to be the woman He desires you to be.