Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – August 14, 2015
The wife must respect her husband. Ephesians 5:33
I am blessed by the Lord with a wife (Rita) who loves me well. She knows my need for encouragement, so when I share a big idea her response is a positive “wow” instead of a negative “how”. She helps me process my thoughts in a way that honors me, even though some of my ideas will never happen. Rita is quick to give me a hug and a kiss, she knows affection makes me feel close to her. Because she knows me well, she loves me well. Here are three ways to love your husband:
Respect
For many men love equals respect. In marriage this could be defined as admiration, honor or value. So, respect his leadership. You can and should help him think through decisions, but be at peace where he leads. Respect his financial support. His capacity may not be at the level of your parent’s provision, so be content. Respect his manhood. See hobbies or male friends, not as competition, but an opportunity for your husband to be a man. Maybe most importantly, respect yourself. Be your very best as a woman to inspire your man’s very best. Respect invites respect.
“All the women will respect their husbands, from the least to the greatest” (Esther 1:20).
Trust
Men mess up. Your husband will be imperfect until he gets to heaven. If you hold him to a standard higher than your Savior Jesus, you are set up for disappointment. Therefore, be quick to forgive and slow to become angry. Give your husband room for failure and trust he will learn from his mistakes. Trust your heavenly Father with His son—your husband. Ultimately, look to God to hold him accountable. As your trust in Christ increases, so will your trust in your man.
“The people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant” (Exodus 14:31).
Companionship
Friendship and romance go together. Not only is passion in physical intimacy important, but so is growing old as best friends. Really listen to your husband’s heart. What brings him to life? In what ways can you enjoy life together and grow closer as friends? Perhaps you pray out loud together. You serve together. You travel together. You suffer together. You celebrate together. Discover what brings you together as companions and do it. Above all, both of you grow your companionship with Christ and you will grow the closest to each other. Love him at all times.
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity” (Proverbs 17:17).
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I wholeheartedly trust You with Your son—the man I married.
Application: How can I best respect, trust and grow in companionship with my husband?
Related Readings: Proverbs 3:5-6, 31:23; Ecclesiastes 4:12; 1 Timothy 3:11; 1 Peter 2:6
Post/Tweet this today: As our trust in Christ increases, so will our trust in others. #lovehusband #WisdomHunters
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Thank you for the daily devotionals, so inspiring. I want to print this one “Three Ways to Love Your Husband” and give it to my daughter. I thought I also saw one about ways to love your wife. I may have deleted it by accident because I keep all devotionals for future reference. Was there one as such? Where might I find it? I want to give both my daughter and son-in-law a copy. Thank you!
Thank you for this reminder for women to know HOW to love their husbands well. I, for one, needed this reminder and I thank you for sharing your Godly wisdom daily. What a blessing your ministry is . Thank You!
Dear Catherine,
Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us with your kind and encouraging words. We are so thankful that you have been blessed by the Wisdom Hunter’s ministry. Please know that I will pass along your comments to Boyd and the rest of the Wisdom Hunter’s team.
We are grateful for you and look forward to hearing from you again.
Blessings to you and yours,
Gwynne
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God.” 1 John 3:1
Dear Estella,
Yes, you are right! There is a Wisdom Hunter’s devotional, “Three Ways to Love Your Wife” that came out on our website and to our daily devotional readers on August 7, 2015. If you would like, I will email it to you with the email address you used for the blog. Also, if you are ever looking for a past devotional, you can always go to our website http://www.wisdomhunters.com to find it (or email me gwynne@wisdomhunters.com).
Thank you so much for your kind words and for passing along the devotionals. We hope that your children and “children-in-laws” will be blessed by them.
Estella, we are so thankful for you and look forward to hearing from you again sometime.
Blessings to you and yours,
Gwynne
“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
James 3:17