Devotion 6: Husbands

Pastor Ryan Story 

There are few areas in my life that revealed my need for Jesus, His grace, His wisdom, and His overall lordship in my life, more than being a husband. I always chuckle to myself whenever I read the book of Ephesians and I see how much more God‘s word directs attention to men. Ironically, I struggle with the notion that God did that unintentionally.  

Every husband ought to discuss the importance of being a godly husband. The more I travel around the sun, each year I realize that sometimes the biggest frustrations I have inside of my marriage are not because of my wife, but actually because of me. I’ve noticed recently that I am so quick to blame work, parenting, misaligned priorities as the reason why I am not leading and loving my wife in the “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25).    

I recently read that when a young boy struggles in life they resort to blaming, avoiding and denying. As a man grows, one, two, or all three can be the way that a man handles frustrations, difficulties, or let downs. I bet we can all admit that there are times when one of those three heads rears itself in our marriages. It's easy to criticize husbands, but I want to encourage every husband reading this. Guys, we are built for challenges.  

While marriage is worth fighting for, the ultimate challenge for any husband is relentlessly growing his personal relationship with Jesus Christ. God’s Word in Ephesians clearly states that husbands are called to love their wives like Christ loved the church. This is a divine order. How can you genuinely reflect the real relationship you have with Jesus and Christ's character and love in your marriage if you barely know Him? How can His Word guide you if it is unfamiliar?  

Your ability to love, lead, and serve your wife like Christ directly depends on the depth of your walk with Him. Husbands if you wanna have a marriage that is growing, thriving, and brings glory to God, I challenge you this week to be quick to return yourself to Him who loves you.