How not to love.

Reading: Jeremiah 40-41, Psalm 38, and Ephesians 5

Scripture: Ephesians 5:25-26, Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word

Thoughts: I love my wife, I think the world of her and appreciate all she does to take care of our home and children. Yet I know that I tend to get short and gruff when I’m agitated and/or frustrated. Recently my wife stayed home from church sick and during service one of my children succumbed to the illness as well and vomited at church, then on the way home it happened again in the car that I was to drive to work the next day. Frustrated that it is cold and dark and I’m trying to clean this car that smells bad, I admit I was being short and gruff. Then this morning reading this passage in Ephesians that so often gets quoted at weddings, it broke my heart that I again, was not loving my wife as Christ loves us or the Church. We are to give of ourselves for our wives. Christ was willing to die on the cross as a sinner to claim the victory that was proclaimed from the beginning, if he loves us that much the least we can do is to love one another that much and our wives even more so. How are we pouring into our family to raise them up and to cleanse them? Let us dive into the word and into the depth of what our relationship with God can be that we can pour our what we are being filled with.

Prayer: Lord God, you are my refuge and strength, you are my provider and the blessing in my life. I thank you that you are always working in me and that you give us the opportunity and ability to learn and grow even when it is slowly. I thank you for the refining and molding that is continually happening in my life. I ask that you continue to open my eyes to your glory and to the things that I need to work through. Lead me and guide me in my next steps that I can better show your love to my family and the world around me.