ICS Daily Devotions
The Irreplaceable Roles Of Husband And Wife
Ephesians 5: 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.
In epistle to the church of Ephesus, God spoke through the Apostle Paul regarding how the husband should love the wife as himself. The husband is expected to lay down his life for his wife and love her as Christ love the church. The husband and wife have been told to submit to one another in reverential fear of God. We honor, love and worship God. We would want to walk in His will and His ways. The Word of God is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. The Word of God guides us regarding everything in life and in this case will be in the area of our marriage.
There is a role of a man and a woman and a role of the husband and wife. It is very clear regarding the difference of gender and the roles that we have in the Bible.
We have to deal very carefully in regard to how we look at the position of our wives. On one extreme, there are certain cultures where the women have no standing in the family and society. They are not allowed to air their views or even be seen in meetings. On the other extreme, there is a demand for equal rights, privileges and a strong advocate for individualism where it is a deathbed for many marriages. What we need is a biblical view and for the couple to enter into the marriage with clarity.
The perception of the roles and responsibilities could be influenced by our environment and culture. Unfortunately, these roles and responsibilities that come from our cultures and traditions might not be correct or inline with what the Bible teaches. In fact, the different ideas, perceptions, traditions, teachings and family practices might just be the reason why some of us are having challenges and this problem can be amplified in a cross cultural marriage. The expectations are different and if it is not communicated, it will cause a strain in the marriage. There are those who come from a very traditional background and others from a more open minded family. What our parents have been practicing as a couple might not be what we want in our marriage. Therefore, it is imperative that we take time to talk and discuss until we come to an agreement regarding how to move forward. The best solution as a couple is to use the Bible as a yardstick and guide to ensure that we are on the same page.
We cannot afford to deal with issues later into the marriage and hope that it will work out on itself. It is better to take time to come to an agreement because it can potentially break the marriage. It is especially true when the couple holds on to individualism and view marriage as a contract.
A role is a position that you take to ensure you take the responsibility that the work and area covered is done to the best of your ability with the help of God. Man is the spiritual leader of the house. The role of the husband cannot be replaced and nobody can replace the role of the father. There should be a clear target and vision of how our marriage will look like in 20, 30 and 50 years. It will be a blessed marriage with an extended families. There will be laughter, love and warmth.
The spiritual leader leads by example in bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit. He guides them to walk in the ways of the Lord in the area of moral values and principle. He models the prayer life for them. He leads them to worship in a local church, participate in serving and running with the church vision. He models to them what a Christian marriage looks like. He shows them what it means to be a good steward of money and possessions.
Similarly, the role of a wife cannot be replaced as there is only one wife. The mother is the only one who gives birth and nobody is able to replace, bond, love and care for the children better than her.
Hence, the role of a husband, father, wife and mother cannot be replaced while the other roles are flexible when it comes to ensuring the house to be run well and maintained.
Both the husband and wife need to sit down to identify the gifts and talents in order to know who works better in a specific area! This will help them clarify their roles, responsibilities and expectations. God is on their side and the Holy Spirit is always ready to come and help if we ask Him for wisdom.
Sermon series: Before You Say I Do
