2017-09-14
Psalm 128:3 NIV
The Psalmist writes: “Blessed are all who fear [respect, honour and obey] the Lord, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit [rewards] of your labour; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table. Thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord” (vv. 1-4 NIV). In a favourable climate, grapevines need no coaxing to grow. They’ll produce grapes in abundance, from which comes wine. And wine in the Bible speaks of joy and celebration. It’s the same in your home. As a husband, God holds you responsible for creating a climate in which your wife and family can experience “blessings and prosperity.” That means you must spend enough time at home to create and maintain an ideal temperature. When you’re seldom present you can’t do that, because your absence just frustrates your wife and diminishes her sense of worth and self-confidence. When she has to take second place to your career, your sports activities, and your friends – not to mention your television watching – you’ll never build a great relationship with her. To know what your wife’s needs are, you must spend quality time with her. If you want to discover her true potential and know just how wonderful a person she is, create the right climate in your home. One woman joked, “I never knew what real happiness was until I married my husband – now it’s too late!” That doesn’t have to be your story. You can create a climate in which you both thrive and enjoy life.
Soul food: Neh 11-13; Mark 12:28-44; Ps 78:65-72; Prov 24:10-14
2017-09-13
1 Peter 3:7 NIV
You must get to know your wife and respect her needs. When God made woman, He made her to be a receiver and responder. He made her a little softer, a little warmer, a little more emotional in order to respond to you. A woman responds to a man in such a way that the very thing he wants, he will receive by giving instead of demanding. When your wife feels truly loved and secure you won’t have to worry about her fulfilling her responsibility in the home. You won’t have to wonder if you’ll have an active, intimate, physical relationship. She’ll be right there responding to your needs. But that means you must put your wife and family first. Sometimes that means saying, “Sorry, guys, I can’t go out with you tonight because I’m taking my wife on a date.” When you’re that kind of husband, you’ll get the kind of response you want without demanding it. But be prepared; there may be issues festering under the surface that need to be dealt with before you can move forward as a couple. If so, be humble enough to say, “I’m sorry I’ve failed you. I haven’t loved you the way I was supposed to and I know it has affected our relationship. I haven’t given you the time and attention you need. But starting today I’m going to change. With God’s help, I’m going to try to love you the way you deserve to be loved.” Now, sir, your wife may faint when she first hears it, but if you follow through, you can have the marriage you always dreamed of.
Soul food: Neh 8-10; Mark 12:13-27; Ps 78:56-64; Prov 24:5-9
2017-09-12
1 Corinthians 15:22 NIV
The Bible says, “In Adam all die.” Why Adam? He was called to be the head of the first family, therefore he was responsible for what happened in the home. As people, husbands and wives are equal under God. But in marriage each has a different role. What happened in the first home was the result of two people wanting to live independently of God. That’s the way many relationships function today. One or both partners choose to live their lives separately from God’s rule and authority. It shows up in the 50 percent divorce rate we’re experiencing. And that doesn’t take into consideration that many who remain married say they’re not happy and wouldn’t marry the same person again. Conflict arises when you and your spouse have different histories, learning styles, personalities, and backgrounds. One spouse might say, “My father raised me like this,” or “My mother always did that.” We all have our own idea of what makes up “the knowledge of good and evil” – what’s right and what’s wrong for a marriage. Everyone has an opinion. The problem is, you can spend your life arguing over opinions and get nowhere. As followers of Christ, we’re called to live our lives and build our marriages on Bible revelation, not personal intuition. Adam’s job was to get God’s viewpoint on issues pertaining to life and family, then share it with the other members of the family. How? By being a loving husband and modelling godly leadership. When a home functions this way, God’s blessing will be present.
Soul food: Neh 5-7; Mark 12:1-12; Ps 78:40-55; Prov 24:1-4
2017-09-11
Exodus 34:23 NAS
God said, “Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord…For I will drive out nations before you…enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land” (vv. 23-24 NAS). Three times a year the men of Israel were to go on a spiritual retreat and seek God’s guidance. And God promised to protect their families and their possessions while they were gone, and even to “enlarge [their] borders.” So if you’re a husband who wants God to protect your family and bless your endeavours, you must take the time to submit your thoughts, actions, and decisions to His leadership. You’ll never function successfully as the head of your family until you’re under the headship of Christ. The best thing you can do in leading your home and building a great marriage is to ask the question, “What is the mind of Christ in this matter?” (See 1 Corinthians 2:16). And then follow it. Once you’ve done that, you’ll have your wife’s full attention and cooperation. Why? Because she’s no longer arguing with you and your opinions. Now you’ve brought Christ and His Word into the equation. It may take time for your wife to trust your leadership and respect your thinking, but as she sees you walk with God and practice His principles, she’ll come to trust you and feel secure. When a woman says to her husband, “I need you to hold me,” she’s not necessarily talking about physical intimacy. She’s talking about her God-given need for security. She needs a husband she can love and trust. And God can make you such a husband.
Soul food: Neh 1-4; Mark 11:27-33; Ps 78:32-39; Prov 23:29-35
2017-09-10
1 Corinthians 11:3 NAS
Paul writes, “I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ.” There is an order to how God operates. Just as Christ was submitted to God, husbands are supposed to be submitted to Christ, and wives are supposed to be submitted to godly husbands. Note the words, “the man is the head of the woman” – not all women. This arrangement doesn’t apply in the workplace or in other relationships. When we fail to honour God’s structure, Satan can enter our homes just as he entered the first home in Eden. “Submission” is an unpopular word today. But when we understand it from a biblical perspective, we see that it’s a positive force to accomplish good, not a negative force to subject women to an inferior status. The Greek word for submission, “hupotasso”, means to willingly place oneself under the authority of another. It doesn’t involve coercion, but rather a willingness to take who and what God made you, and submit it to the authority of another. In the husband’s case, to God, and in the wife’s case, to God and to her husband. Paul writes, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25 NIV). When a husband loves his wife that way, and gives himself to her, she will gladly submit to his leadership in the home. It’s her husband’s love and protection that releases her into the fullness of her God-given potential.
Soul food: Dan 6:1-24; Acts 12:1-19
2017-09-09
Genesis 3:6 NKJV
In Genesis, before Eve was created God warned Adam not to eat the forbidden fruit, and it was his responsibility to communicate that to his wife. Clearly, he didn’t do a very good job. As a result he lost his job and they ended up losing their home. Notice, the Devil first approached Eve with the idea of disobeying God. “When the woman saw that the tree was good…She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” Question: Where was Adam when Eve was being deceived? “With her.” So here’s an important lesson: When a man fails to listen to God and obey Him, he can’t be the leader his wife and family need. He literally opens the door to Satan and allows him to come in and cause chaos in the family. When Satan was trying to sell Eve a bill of goods, Adam stood silently by instead of speaking up and saying, “That’s not right. Unless we follow the path God has laid out for us, we’ll lose everything.” The issue in marriage isn’t about who’s the boss; it’s about honouring the structure God created so everyone in the family can walk in His blessing. The Bible says Satan comes to “steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10). But when a husband is truly submitted to Christ, he can protect his family. So if you’re a husband, you need to step up to the plate. And if you’re a wife, you need to encourage your husband to walk with God and let him know that it’s an honour and privilege to follow such a man.
Soul food: Col 3-4; Philemon; Mark 11:12-26; Ps 78:17-31; Prov 23:26-28
