“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church
and gave himself up for her."
Ephesians 5:25
Love in Action
Love is an easy word to say but hard to do! We throw this word "love" around pretty flippantly, don't we?
Do you find yourself saying, I love...
The weather
My car
This sandwich
My dog
The Cubs, Bears and Razorbacks. Ok, I'll stop there because I could go on and on.
However real love is given away, with no expectation of getting anything in return, not an experience or a possession.
So, to love our wives well we need to understand how to share our time and resources with them sacrificially.
A Great Plan
In our MD5 Cohorts we've learned about the book called The 5 Love Languages that was authored by Dr. Gary Chapman in 1992.
This is an excellent guide to understanding how your wife receives as love in here life. Check them out here:
Now What?
If you grew up with the cartoon G.I. Joe then you'll remember their famous phrase after they delivered a good lesson. "Now go do it! Because knowing is only half the battle."
So, although taking this step of learning your wife's love language will mean a lot to her and give you the information you need to love her better. You must create a habit of actually loving her this way or it will soon be forgotten.
Go Do It!
If you don't know your wife's love language then I challenge you to have her take the 5 Love Languages assessment. Now, before you check out on me with this assessment. You can also observe and ask your own questions in casual conversation. So, be creative and don't make excuses not do this!
Then, think and pray about how to utilize this information in a sacrificial way that ministers to the heart of your wife, consistently.
As the 33 series says, we have to model Jesus in that he was both "tough and tender." Even though Jesus wasn't married on earth He is married to His Church and His actions and principles fulfill God's design for our marriages.
By the way, these principles apply to friends and family as well. So if you are not married, you still have relationships to selflessly pour into. We all do, married or not! This is a great way to that with them as well.
Ryan Johnson
MD5 Facilitator
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