Now before you go running and saying you'd NEVER submit yourself to a man, take the time to read on. It's not as bad as you think.
I don't think there's any better way of showing greater love for both Christ and your husband then through submission. One goes hand in hand with the other. Once you master the one, the other is sure to follow. So let's take a look at what the bible has to say about this topic.
Read: Ephesians 5:22-33.
SOAP: Ephesians 5:22-23; 28-29
Read: Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do 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 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
S: 22:Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23: 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. 28: In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29: After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church.
O: Ok, so what the bible is telling us women is that we should be submissive to our husbands. What exactly does that mean? It DOES NOT mean that we should just blindly follow what our husbands tell us to do without question. It DOES NOT mean that we are weak or that we are to be treated like a doormat. What it DOES mean is that our husband is the head of our relationship. We have to TRUST our husbands, just as we trust Christ. We know that Christ would never steer us wrong. We know that He would never do anything to hurt us or to put us in jeopardy. Christ loves us for us, faults and all.
Now, our husbands HAVE to rely on Jesus Christ just as much as we do, if not more so. They HAVE to listen to what God tells them because they know, just as we do, and do as God would want.
Jesus HAS to be at the center of all this or else things could go horribly wrong. If a husband is not OF Christ and FOR Christ, then how are we to trust them? Some men see a submissive woman as an easy "target". One that can be easily taken advantage of. This could easily lead to an abusive situation, not something that Jesus would want for His children.
When we learn to submit to Christ, it makes it easy to want to submit to our husbands. A man who submits himself to Christ shows strength and love. If he can humble himself to Christ, if he can love Christ, then he will have no problem showing that same love and strength with his wife.
When our husbands love us and we love them in return, it feels good. It's not just a chemical reaction, but one of emotion. And when we have the capacity to love and be loved, it says a lot about us. If you don't feel good about yourself, how can you be expected to feel good about someone else?
I'm not just talking about physical beauty either. Looks will fade over time. Inner beauty-- the kind that comes from being who you are, will show through. Feed your body with good things...peace, love, Christ Jesus, your husband. These things will show outwardly. As a friend of mine at church mentioned tonight, when she was at peace with the love of Jesus, her whole outward appearance changed. People noticed. Kind of like that "pregnancy glow". Only this is the "Jesus loves me" glow.
When all of these elements come together, love, trust, respect, submission will come easy. Let your husband lead. If he is leading according to God's plan, you will know. And you will see how your marriage will flourish. As my husband always says, there can only be one leader. If both of you try to be the leader you will bang heads and cause strife. Only one can be in charge. That One should be Christ, then your husband.
A: I need to learn to let my husband lead. But first I have to be sure that he is leading the way God intended. We have been down that road many times without a good ending. My husband is quite the dominant type. He wants to be "the man" in the relationship. Well that takes work and trust. These things don't just happen overnight. But the more he submits to Christ Jesus, the easier it will be for me to trust him to lead me in the right direction and the easier it will be for me to submit to him.
I also have to learn to trust God. I still end things with "I hope so". There was a lady at church last week who told me some things that she knows that God will help me with. My response was "oh, I hope so." That doesn't show much trust or faith in God for me. So, as my trust and faith in God grows, the easier it will be for me to submit to Him. Which, in turn, will make it easier for me to WANT to submit to my husband.
P: Heavenly Father, I pray that my husband will continue to follow you, to want to do the right things that are pleasing to You. I pray that You will help him grow in his faith and his willingness to lead our family the way You designed it to be. I pray that You will help me to trust You more and to trust my husband more. I pray You wipe away all doubt out of my heart and replace it with Your love. I know that as all this comes together, You will help lead me and my husband in the direction that You have planned for us. I pray that other couples will learn the same thing and that their marriages will flourish as this happens. Bless all of us, O Lord, with Your love and make our submission to You the beautiful gift that it is. Amen.
I love the video!
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