"22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the LORD.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as CHRIST is the head of the church, HIS body, and is HIMSELF its Savior.
24 Now as the church submits to CHRIST, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
25 Husbands, love your wives, as CHRIST loved the church and gave HIMSELF up for her,
26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word,
27 so that he might present the church to HIMSELF in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as CHRIST does the church,
30 because we are members of his body.
31 "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become ONE FLESH."
32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to CHRIST and the church.
33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."
Alienating "WIVES" or "HUSBANDS" is certainly not my intended goal. It could be difficult to speak to the "WIVES" portion of this, as I married a woman who honestly exhibits Proverbs 31 as well as most women I have ever seen. I, on the other hand, am probably the biggest challenge of being a biblical "HUSBAND" living! So many times, however, "WIVES" and "HUSBANDS" get so caught up in our "modern day lifestyles" that we don't SEE or HEAR GOD acting or speaking in our lives.
"WIVES" MUST submit themselves to their own "HUSBANDS"! They are not allowed to reject submission just because their "HUSBANDS" aren't biblically performing the GODLY duties. In too many marriages a spouse wants to fix their eyes on their mate and not focus on themselves! You can't expect to improve yourself when you are focusing your attention on someone else's perceived faults! Our own faults are usually easy to identify, IF we bother examining ourselves even a little bit.
"HUSBANDS" MUST love their "WIVES", whether they are lovable or not! No matter how cranky a woman gets, no matter how bad her GODLY traits become, no matter what she is dealing with, a "HUSBAND" is commanded to love his "WIFE"! One of the most humbling things that I have experienced is when one day my eyes were opened to what is meant by "as CHRIST loved the church and gave HIMSELF up for her". CHRIST loved me when I was lost and undone. Yet HE sacrificed HIS life for me anyway! Although I was living a life that in NO WAY reflected HIS sacrifice, HE died for me! That is how much I am COMMANDED to love my "WIFE"! Can you sense my shame?!?!
Both "WIVES" and "HUSBANDS" need to understand that once their vows are spoken to GOD that the oath is now, not only to their spouse, but they have now made a vow to GOD ALMIGHTY to love and cherish each other till death do us part! The "WIFE or "HUSBAND" can display flaws beyond description, but the vow professed to each other was also made to GOD! Defaulting on my vow to my spouse might be forgivable, but defaulting on my vow to GOD is something that needs to be evaluated quite seriously before considering breaking the vow!
It is always interesting to see "WIVES" and "HUSBANDS" and how they look at each other when the minister preaches on Ephesians 5. It seems we always want to observe everyone else's behavior while ignoring our own actions. Judging ourselves is never a pleasant thing to do. Being judged by GOD will be a LOT worse! "WIVES" submit, and "HUSBANDS" love!!! Regardless!!!
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