“I’m not going to your parents’ house for Thanksgiving, and
that’s that!” Nancy ’s eyes threw daggers at her husband as
she sat down to watch television.
Frank sighed and threw up his hands. They’d had this argument the past two years
ever since Nancy
had a falling-out with his mother. Frank
knew his mother spoke her mind, and he’d talked to her about the way she’d hurt
Nancy ’s
feelings. His mother had tried to
apologize to Nancy ,
but she’d closed her heart.
“Nancy ,
I miss not spending Thanksgiving with my parents; why can’t you understand that? How would you feel if I refused to go to your
parents’ home for Christmas?” Frank appealed.
Lord knows he’d prayed a lot about Nancy ’s
attitude toward his mom.
“Wives, submit to your husbands as 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. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also
wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ
loved the church and gave himself up for her…”
The minister went on to say, “This scripture from Ephesians
5: 21 to 33 talks about how husbands and wives need to submit to one
another. The husband must love his wife
as he loves himself and the wife must respect her husband. We read the same instruction in Titus 2 verse
5 that wives are to be subject to their own husbands so the word of God will
not be ill-spoken of.”
Frank saw Nancy ’s
finger hover over the remote to change channels, but for some reason she didn’t
change it.
“Let’s not forget Ephesians 5:21 that says we are to submit
to one another out of reverence for Christ.
The teaching that wives must submit to their husbands has been very
misunderstood and abused in some Christian circles. Sometimes people get the idea that women are
basically to be a doormat for their husbands to walk on, while the husband is
given unlimited authority over his wife.
In spite of this distorted teaching, we cannot get around the fact that
the Lord did say through Paul that wives are to submit to their husbands. Just because a teaching isn’t popular is no
reason to discard it. Indeed we dare
not.
2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. We need to humble our hearts to the Lord to be taught by Him. The Word of God teaches that the husband is the head of the home, and the wife should respect his role. The husband should understand that such leadership requires service – he is to be a ‘servant-leader!’ The wife should willingly submit to her husband’s God-given role and not try to wrest his role away from him and upstage him. The truth is, they are to submit to one another as they submit to Christ in their lives. The husband is to love his wife, and the wife is to respect her husband. This is pleasing to the Lord.”
2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. We need to humble our hearts to the Lord to be taught by Him. The Word of God teaches that the husband is the head of the home, and the wife should respect his role. The husband should understand that such leadership requires service – he is to be a ‘servant-leader!’ The wife should willingly submit to her husband’s God-given role and not try to wrest his role away from him and upstage him. The truth is, they are to submit to one another as they submit to Christ in their lives. The husband is to love his wife, and the wife is to respect her husband. This is pleasing to the Lord.”
“I’m sorry, Frank; I’ve not been respecting your
leadership. Please forgive me.”
Frank never felt more loved by his wife than at that moment
as they embraced.
God bless you, dear reader!
*All Scriptures are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.
Copyright © 2013
Elaine Beachy
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