Proverbs 18:22--A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. (HCSB)Proverbs 19:14--A house and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a sensible wife is from the Lord. (HCSB)
To you husbands out there: (OK, if you want, you ladies can read too!)
Earlier this month, my wife, Lisa, and I celebrated our anniversary. I praise God for my wife and I want to encourage all of you husbands out there to do the same. I know that marriage is not always smooth sailing, and most of us go through rocky stages or bumpy rides in our relationships with our wives, but as the scripture above reminds us, our wives are from the Lord and those of us who find wives obtain favor from the Lord.
Now I understand that sometimes from a man's point of view it seems that our wives might be from the devil instead of from the Lord and that they frequently appear to be anything but sensible, but for the most part we would probably all agree that they are a good thang! I know that for me, I don't know if I could make it through all the stuff this world throws at me without my wife there to love me and help me with my struggles. There's just something about having a loving spouse to come home to after a really tough day on the job, etc.
It's especially blessing when our wives love God. In fact, all too often it's the wives who take on the role of spiritual leadership in the household and in our families when God didn't design it that way. But thanks to all those Christian moms and wives out there for stepping up and leading their children and their husbands when the man of the house didn't! Where would a lot of us be today had it not been for a godly mother or a godly wife?
A capable wife is very precious and beneficial to her husband. Look at this passage from Proverbs 31:10-12---Who can find a capable wife? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will not lack anything good. She rewards him with good, not evil, all the days of her life. (HCSB)
It's so great to have a wife that you can trust in, and all of us husbands need to do a better job of showing our love and affection towards our wives. We need to try harder to do the little things that mean so much to them, like surprising them with cards or flowers or a dinner date, etc. Do something unexpected to show her you still love her and always will. We need to remember to follow Christ's example and the instructions we find in Ephesians 5:25, 28-29---Husbands, love your wives, just as also Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her---In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hates his own flesh, but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, since we are members of His body! (HCSB)
So let's remember that our wives are truly a good thang! And the next time they seem to be acting in a manner that to us is not sensible, just remember that you have obtained favor from the Lord, give her your most sincere smile, and tell her that you love her. She'll probably give you a funny look, you guys know what I mean, but she'll show her appreciation if you do your best to love her the way Jesus does.
Joey C.
