How to Be a Better HusbandSample

Day 1

An Impossible Mission

The Bible's command to husbands is direct, clear, and honestly, impossible to achieve on your own: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church." The standard isn't to love like our fathers did, how our culture defines love, or even how we think we should. The benchmark is the greatest demonstration of love that has ever existed.

That can sound intimidating. It would be easier if the command was to "be brave like David" or "be persistent like Daniel," because even with the wrong motives, we could still try to complete those missions. But to love like Christ? That’s harder than folding a fitted sheet. The goal, however, isn't to discourage us but to bring us to the right starting point: total dependence on God. Acknowledging the size of the challenge is the first step to stop trying in our own strength and start seeking the grace that empowers us.

Reflection Questions:

• When I think about my marriage, who have I been modeling myself after more: human examples (parents, culture) or the example of Christ?
• How does the "impossible mission" of loving like Christ invite me to depend more on God and less on my own strength?

Prayer Suggestion:

"Lord, Your Word gives me a standard of love that is impossible for me. Remove self-sufficiency from my heart and teach me to depend on Your grace, so I can love my wife not as I think I should, but as Christ loved the church."