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Writer, Facilitator, Teacher, Author, Minister of the Gospel, Soft-skills Consultant

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Are you in charge of your house or is your jury still out?

(Hubbies, Men of God, Can we talk?” series Pt3)

Being the “head of the household” has taken on a multitude of meanings to all who hear the phrase. Views from all aspects of life have pressed the air waves and other points of communication to inspire their particular focus on the importance of what it means to be the “Head.” Often we find our views limited in development and lost in a foundation of family dysfunction because limited views boil down to fragile secular basics of the Alfa Male. This results into statements such as “because I wear the pants in this family” or “because I said so, that’s why.” I’m trying to remember the part of the scripture that tells me wearing pants has something to do with what God meant.
 “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.” Eph 5:22-24
Men of God, I don’t care who you are, right now you should be saying “Brother that’s some good reading scripture right there!” Yep that’s why I’m the head and that’s exactly how I should be treated, that’s about as clear as you can make it.
Before we can start our victory dance all through the house, let’s make sure we understand the message that is written within the text for us. This passage is written as an instruction for wives, and should be out of knowledge for husbands. It’s like we’re the Captain on a plane, although we have a Copilot on board who is well able to fly and land the air craft, the overall responsibility, and decision made for that flight falls on the Captain. Now you might be asking “What does that have to do with Eph 5:22?”
Let’s view the next verse and see what we can find out.
“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.” Eph. 5:25-28
If we meditate on this passage it will help us to see that (Eph. 5:22-24) a phrase that starts out talking to wives needs to have the understanding of husbands in order for wives to get the full measure of its meaning.  
Men we are quick to say that we’re protectors and we’ll give our lives for our loved ones and we believe this fulfills the essence of this scripture, Jesus gave His life and I’m willing to give mine. We tend to think “well that’s my part, now she needs to do hers.
But have we really done what the instruction tells us to, or did we take the easy way out? There’s nothing that says “husband get up on the cross,” but what it does say is;
“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,
We look at "gave Himself up for her to make her holy” and we’re finished because we think that speaks of the cross, but if we keep reading the justifier is in the next segment of the passage which points out a behavioral life style which we must seek to obtain.
“cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,”
You can’t wash something clean if you don’t understand the principles of washing, you can’t place a white T-Shirt in with blue jeans in hot water if your goal is to come out with a bright white T-Shirt at the completion of the cycle. In order for us to provide a washing with water through the word, we have to knowledge of that word and submit to it ourselves first! Not just for the ability to spout passages to show how wise we are in study, but in our living and the way we treat our wives.
Think of it this way: our lesson to our wives on how to submit should come directly from their view of us submitting to God and the word should then validate what they’re seeing as being God ordained.
In other words my brothers, it’s easier to do things that you see going on around you, it’s easier for me to submit when I see true submission. God doesn’t want us to die for our wives, (Christ already took care of that part) He wants us to be examples of how to live. We are to submit to Him and study His word, seek understanding and clarity that we may be a living example to our wives how to submit to us, this empowers us to provide a cleansing for her that will be received by the washing with water through the word.
Here’s the icing on the cake! Jesus did this for the church, and scripture is tells us we should do this for our wives so the return is one and the same. Picture this with heavenly eyes, as far as you dare let your mind take you, the same thing that Christ got back from His bride God is offering you back for yours.
and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
To present her back yourself as a radiant vessel of holiness, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless, your wife, your help meet, your gift from the Master, unequaled by any other living thing in your eye, your submission to God’s will, her submission to you and Gods perfect plan of the ministry of marriage displayed to the world.
That’s a powerful picture that the Master has painted for us, one of a perfected relationship that can only be obtain through His path. Now it’s once again time for a review of who we are, ask yourself, “are you the Head of your house, or is your jury still out?”
This is a place where we can be a blessing to each other, let’s share because it’s true “Iron sharpens Iron.”

“Go out today and feed some sheep”