Thursday, September 11, 2008

Love, Honor, Respect, Serve, and other stuff

The next section of this book will either ruffle your feathers, or it will be just fine and dandy with you. Either way, it's in here and we have to look at it.

It's THE section for husbands, wives, kids and, well, workers, even though the Bible used the word slave. That doesn't set real well in the good ol' US of A anymore so we'll use it as those who work for others.

I'll make this quick because this subject has been covered AT LENGTH by people better equipped than me and I'll send you to their sites/books at the end of this post.

BOOM! "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord."

Pretty clear cut. There are no disclaimer like, "unless he's a jerk, or doesn't love God." It just says submit to him as to the Lord. That right there is the key. You do or don't submit to him because of him, you submit to him out of submission to Christ. I'm not sayin' it's always easy, but through the power of Christ, IT CAN BE DONE!

Slide over to 5:33 "...and the wife must respect her husband." Again, no disclaimers like, "unless he isn't worthy of respect..." What will make your man feel like a man and in return make you feel like a woman is if you give him respect.

Now, we are quick to read very quickly through the verses to us and get on to the verses about the men! Yes, they are to love us and make us feel loved, but we can't make them do that. What we do is pray for them and respect them.

I know that not all husbands love their wives "...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..." It's a TALL order!! Maybe, to help them, we pray for them, we respect them and we honor them. What you cast over your husband in front of him...he has the potential to rise to.

See my post at I AM (not) for a better glimpse into what I'm getting at.

The good news is if you don't have a husband who loves you like he should, you have a God who loves you like you should be loved. He will be the one to wash you with the Word, to present you to himself as a radiant bride. He will love you and cleave to you as no one else will or can. This is the husband you can dream of and he will come true!

Here are some great resources for marriage!
Love and Respect
The Five Love Languages

And if you're not married but will be someday, or hope you will be! :)
Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts

For those verse concerning how our kids should honor us and how we can love them...
The Parent You Want To Be
Grace Based Parenting

And finally, the last part, 6:5-9. Basically, if you work for someone do it like you were working for the Lord. And, if you have employee's treat those who work with you like you were treating the Lord. Pretty cut and dry.

Well, that ended quickly! Tomorrow, we'll end with a bang!!