Showing Godly Love to Our Husbands

“Beloved, if God so loved us,
we ought also to love one another.” 1 John 4:11

It takes more than a bag of chocolate kisses to express Godly love. Giving candy and gifts are lovely gestures, but saying, “I love you.” requires more than sugar and stuff.  Those are fun, romantic, and memorable ways to celebrate love for our husbands, but they lose their sweetness when we portray mean and unloving attitudes on the non-celebratory days. Our actions speak louder than heart boxes of assorted delicacies, cologne, gift cards, dinners and heart print ties. Love expressed between special occasions makes holiday chocolates much easier to swallow. Showing love God’s way makes relational tasks more meaningful and enjoyable.

No one said loving our husbands would be easy and, it isn’t. I’ve loved my husband for almost thirty-eight years. Some of those days, have been tougher than others. Many days, we don’t even like each other and get on each other’s nerves. Our personalities, interests, and tastes are as different as pastel pink and sky blue. God’s grace is the glue holding us together and, deep down, where true love likes to hide; our love isn’t based on our common ground, preferences, or personal desires. God’s love is keeping us grounded, committed, and cherishing each other in spite of who we are or what we do.

Worldly Love

Godly love isn’t well promoted and practiced in our culture today. Even Christians struggle to share it. It’s often replaced with a faux, worldly version that’s presented as sensual, self-serving, self-gratifying and shallow. Sadly, marriages built on this type of love are bound for heartache and hurt.

Unfortunately, the world teaches that Godly love is optional or doesn’t work and many are falling for it. As a result, marriages are crumbling. Look around at our families, churches, communities and personal relationships. Things are in a mess. That’s why our roles and responsibilities, as Christian women, are so important and it’s imperative that we consider God’s Word and live accordingly.

Godly Love

God laid out a clear plan for maintaining our marriages. Let’s take a look at how He wants us to show love to our husbands:

“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands,
as unto the Lord.” Ephesians 5:22

“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands,
as it is fit in the Lord.” Colossians 3:18

“Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ,
so let the wives be to their own husbands
in every thing.” Ephesians 5:24

“Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection
to your own husbands;
that, if any obey not the word,
they also may without the word
be won by the conversation of the wives;” 1 Peter 3:1

These passages may not set well in today’s society, but they clearly show how Godly wives are to be:

• Submitted to Him –
  • “… as unto the Lord.”
  • “… as it is fit in the Lord.”
• Subject to Him –
  • “… in every thing.”
• Reverent to Him
  • like the Church is to reverence Christ.

If we want Godly homes, with husbands who love us in the way Christ loves the church, we have to follow the instructions given to us too.  

Bring It Home

Let’s count the ways we’re showing Godly love to our husbands.

Praying for you as we grow together,

Smiles, BRC