Nourishes and Cherishes your husband/wive

So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. - Ephesians 5:25-30

Paul gives husbands far more direction and exhortation than he gives to wives. While wives are supposed to model the church, husbands are given the incredible grace and responsibility of representing Christ. As Christ is the head of the church, husbands are heads and leaders in the home. So what does this look like within the context of a marriage?

Husbands are to love their wives, but not in a trite romantic comedy type of way. Rather, husbands love like Jesus, who laid down all His priorities—even His own life—to serve the church. Husbands are supposed to lead their wives in an intentional path to spiritual growth. Leadership in the home is specific. Husbands and fathers will be held responsible for how they have done as spiritual leaders. They set the tone (vv. 26-27).

As a wife gives her husband her submission, a husband gives his wife sacrificial love. Men are called to lay down their wants, their needs, their very lives, to serve their wives. This type of love is hard won and dependent on a deepening relationship with Jesus Christ because a husband cannot lead where he hasn’t been.

Marriage is a precious gift, and when we think about our vows this week, we need to remember the seriousness of what we have committed to in marriage. If you are a married man, take today as an opportunity to evaluate how you are doing as a spiritual leader