Ephesians 5:33 (NLT)
So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Question: Why are you married to the person you are married to? In other words, if you had to do it all over again, how would you answer the question: Why do I want to get married? For you single people reading this, the success of your marriage starts before you get married. For those of you who are married, if you had to do it all over again, how would you answer the question: Why do I want to get married?
There are many possible answers to that question, but because we know that a successful marriage is the will of God, let’s answer that question from God’s Word. The question is: Why do I want to get married? The answer is: I want to get married because God has called me to love this person the way Christ loves the church. (See Ephesians 5:25.) This is the motivation for getting married according to God’s Word. God has called me to love my spouse the way Christ loves the church.
In our Success Scripture this week, God’s Word exhorts men to love their wives and wives to respect their husbands. Notice the word “must.” “Each man must love his wife” and “the wife must respect her husband.” This means that love for wives and respect for husbands must happen in order to guarantee the success of a marriage.
The wife has an equal responsibility to love her husband as the husband has to love his wife. Husbands and wives are called to love their spouses the way Christ loves the church. This brings up a very good question: How does Christ love the church? The answer is found in the Greek word for love. The Greek word for love is “agape,” which refers to both a proactive and unconditional love. Agape love is proactive and unconditional; agape love is the way God loves. Christ loves the church with agape love and that is how God exhorts us to love our spouses. Extending proactive and unconditional love to your spouse will guarantee the success of your marriage! This includes husbands loving their wives and wives respecting their husbands.
The vision you have for your marriage is an expression of your faith. Faith works through love; therefore, loving your spouse proactively and unconditionally will move you rapidly toward your personal vision. Our CD series, “Faith Works through Love,” will inspire you to pursue the vision God has given you for your marriage. Click here to order