“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for herto 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.” (Ephesians 5:25-27)
It was God himself who instituted marriage. It was God himself who said, “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). It was God himself who intended marriage to reflect his relationship with his people.
What a beautiful reflection it is! Pale—and marred by sin—but still beautiful.
Today is Wife Appreciation Day.
There are many ways a husband can show his wife that he appreciates her. I’m convinced that what needs to be at the heart of all those ways is God’s calling in Ephesians 5:25.
Husbands, God wants the self-denying, self-sacrificing love of Christ at the heart of all your interactions with your wife. How is that love seen? How is it shown?
By pointing her to Christ.
If there is one way you can show your wife how much you appreciate her—and how much you appreciate God for placing you in her life—it’s by pointing her to her Savior. To say to her each and every day, “Ah, my dear, if only you could see how I see you—how God sees you! Let me show you.” And then do just that with your words and actions.
Your wife knows her faults and failures, just as surely as you know yours. She struggles with the painful disconnect between what her sinful nature tells her and what God says to her in his Word. The devil whispers constantly into her ear the old lie he’s been telling ever since the fall into sin—the lie that God does not love her.
You have the opportunity—the privilege—to tell her otherwise. Tell her what she needs to hear—that God loves her with a love that will never diminish or fade. He loves her so much that he willingly gave himself up for her to make her holy—washing away all her sins with water and Word. All so he could present her to himself and say, “Ah, my dear, I see you as you truly are! Glorious. Holy. Blameless.”
Permit me one more thing to say in this short post—I marvel at how God designed marriage. When I show Christ’s love to my wife, she then has an opportunity to do the same for me. I need that. And those moments—I thank God for them. I thank God for her. Words. . . words are not enough.
Husbands, may you show the love of Christ to your wife today and always. Wives, may you be seen by your husband as God sees you today and always.
Marriage isn’t easy—we’re sinful people who struggle to reflect Christ’s love in our lives. As you follow Christ and walk through life with your spouse, the devotional resource 5-Minute Bible Studies: For Couples will help you grow closer to each other and—more importantly—to God.
Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.