21Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord… 25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…..28In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself… Ephesian 5:21, 22, 25, 28
My mother-in-law once told me that marriage comes from God. He is the creator of marriage. He is the One that puts the shadow of marriage over two people that neither one can escape nor can anyone force themselves under that shadow. Marriage was the first human relationship God made when He first created the human race. Consequently, in this open letter to all sons and all daughters, remember to love, submit, and respect one another for your marriages to last. This is the secret ingredients, I believe, Queen Elizabeth and the late Duke, must have infused into their 75-year long marriage.
This will not be a discourse in the royal marriage, however, drawing from watching them and other couples, it is a joy ride, sailing into “living happily ever afters” of marriage.
As a general policy, the relationship between a husband and wife comes first; all others, including mom and dad, siblings, and even children come after. Many people talk about the children come first; this is wrong. The children come first to the union, but not to the separate entities. This is because the two people in the marriage are one.
When two people get married it is important that they treat the in-laws as people that can enhance the marriage. All thoughts of them as “the enemy” must be erased from the mind. It is crucial to embrace all in-laws as the new kith and kin of the marriage. As this is done, husband and wife should keep in mind that their respective position in their spouse’s heart and mind is the Number One.
As a husband, all sons should love their mother-in-law; as a wife, all daughters should love their mother-in-law From the Fathers, both husbands and wives should seek wisdom from the respective fathers-in-law. But with all the getting, love God: He created all creation, He created marriage and He put the institution of marriage over the heads of the husband and wife. It should never be forgotten that it is to Him, they must go back when the value of your relationship is to experience any increase.
A great scripture on marriage about your relationship states great counsel for marriages. It is in the great Ephesians 5, and is misquoted, underquoted, and it is the most lop-sided emphasis scriptures on marriage, especially verses 21 to verse 33.
The first verse talks about submitting to one another v.21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
But verses 22 to 24, gives counsel to the wife; this scripture has received miles and miles of advice; even entire books have been written about it; there are even some pastors, God bless them, who can speak from the heart.
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. v.24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Although the bride-to-be is given a mouthful of advice using verses 22 to 24, there are nine verses that counsel men, however, such counsel is never given. The verses are given for all sons. Please read and consider them.
v.25 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. “For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. v. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
There are three verses specific to the wife; nine that are for the husband, and one that applies to both (v. 21).
All sons are challenged to love your wife. Love your wife. Love your wife. A mild and wildly marvelous surprise awaits a loving husband because the wife will be setting up expeditions to find new and exciting ways to submit to you!
Finally, both sons and daughters must put salt into the relationship. This is to say the following:
I. Serve one another. The husband and a wife must voluntarily look for ways to serve each other.
II. Accountability: be accountable to one another. Neither a husband nor a wife should do anything, say anything, or be anywhere that he or she cannot let the spouse know or hear about.
III. Love one another; with love for God first and most of all, and then love each other.
IV. Teach each other. There is no one that has the monopoly on wisdom, no one that knows how to do all things, how to say all things. Therefore, the knowledge and skills one has should be shared with one’s spouse. Out of love, the spouse that knows something must teach the spouse out of love and reverence (respect, admiration, awe) of one another.
Jehovah God bless your marriage!
