May 1, 2024

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Find out what pleases the Lord. Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” (Ephesians 5.10; 33)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

Give her a reason! Give her a reason to respect you as her husband. Does he respect himself as the recipient of God’s spirit breathed into him after he was formed from the dust of the earth? Does he respect himself as one bestowed with the blessing of God conferred on him as a “good and very good” creation? Does he respect himself as the one entrusted with the care of the earth and all of its life as if it were his own? Does he respect the God who saved him from the penalty of sin which is eternal death and separation from the abundant and provident love of God? Does he respect himself as one indebted so God’s only begotten Son, Jesus of Nazareth, who bore his sins to the cross as the once and for all atonement? Does he respect himself to live into the new life given to him after being forgiving so great a debt which he could never repay by believing Jesus is the resurrection and the life and by Him alone can Heaven become his eternal dwelling place? Does he respect himself so much that he would choose to be the head of the household to which he has given himself as Christ gave Himself to the Church? Does he respect himself so much that he would not allow anyone, especially himself, to disrespect his wife, children and faith in all the venues which they would be a part of? Give her a reason to respect you and find that the love you so deeply desire will be yours. And know that if you do all of this your wife will have no other choice than to respect her husband; she must! This is what pleases God!

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, before we were conceived in the womb, You had already formed us in Your love and by Your Spirit brought us into being. Each one of us is blessed with the opportunity of doing right, being good and producing the fruit of the Spirit so that others may be fed the truth of that same love so that the two will become one. It is our soul’s sincere desire to embrace the oneness You have in mind that we would know that we are Your people and that You are our God. Lead us in that discovery of the truth and the manifestation of that love for us all. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.