June 13, 2011
FAMILY DEVOTIONS
Husbands
Part Thirteen
NOURISHING AND CHERISHING YOUR WIFE
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All day, every day, Jesus nourishes and cherishes the church. Jesus commands His disciples to love their wives, and to nourish and cherish them. As we continue our studies regarding husbands, we will see the important actions husbands must take to promote spiritual blessing in the family.
So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;
Ephesians 5:28
Nourish and Cherish Your Wife. The Lord Jesus Christ nourishes (“ἐκτρέφει”) and cherishes (“θάλπει”) the church. The word nourish only occurs one other place in the New Testament, and it is used of fathers bringing up their children spiritually (Ephesians 6:4, page 1833). It speaks of feeding and nourishing the church with food, or spiritually, with the stuff you need to grow up. For husbands, their wives need their loving attention to help them mature in Christ. Husbands need to nourish their wives with the Word of God, and their love in Christ. Family devotions will benefit every member of the family as they gather together to be nourished in Christ and taught by Him. Husbands must also cherish the wife, as Christ cherishes the church. This word cherish relates to the root word “to impart warmth.” I love that beautiful spiritual picture of God using the arms of the husband to impart spiritual warmth to his wife. We all know what cold does to a relationship, and how warmth spreads from love in your heart from Christ.
As Christ Does the Church. As believers, we always have Christ as our Leader, Teacher, and Example. He demonstrates through His example, and directly through His words in Scripture applied to our hearts, what it means to follow Him. He loves us and guides us along the path every day. We feel His presence and love in our lives. We depend upon Him. Christ also performs this work of nourishing and cherishing every day, all day. The original text puts it very clearly that He does it Himself, and He does it continuously. In the same way, husbands must act continuously to demonstrate the love of Christ to their wives, to nourish them and cherish them continuously.
because we are members of His body.
Ephesians 5:28
Members of His Body. Christ nourishes and cherishes your wife every day, because she is a member of the Body of Christ. She was placed into His Body at the moment of salvation, that is, the moment she believed in her heart that Jesus died on the cross for her sins, and accepted His free gift of salvation. Now, Paul draws together this illustration of the Body of Christ with the role of the husband. He shows that because the wife is a member of the Body of Christ, and likewise the husband too, then Christ Himself will be working in every member of His Body to nourish and cherish each member. Wives, through their husbands, receive this special attention. In fact, as we have seen, husbands must be great examples of love. Your whole family will learn what it means to nourish and cherish someone by watching you with your wife.
So we learn more about spiritual husbands today and their role in daily devotions.
● Being a husband in Christ means that you nourish and cherish you wife, every day, all day.
● Being a husband in Christ means that you follow the example of Christ with the church. As believers, every family member is also a member of the Body of Christ. Therefore, we are all joined to Him in spiritual union, and He alone leads, teaches, and guides us.
● Being a husband in Christ means that you trust Christ to help you love your wife and family. You recognize the essential unity among all the family members in Christ, and so you lead them in love. You plan times to be together to share your spiritual lives together, every day. You plan on feeding them just like you plan on feeding yourself.
Application for Today
Today I am going to nourish and cherish my wife. I will see her as a member of the Body of Jesus Christ, just like I am. Together we will grow in Christ, and I will help her mature into the woman Christ wants her to be. With my entire family in Christ, I will be finding time to spend every day reading and praying with them, and hearing all about what Christ has been doing in their lives every day. Will you nourish and cherish your wife today? Will your family see you teaching them how you nourish and cherish someone you love today? Will your family see Christ in you as you treat your wife as a member of the Body of Christ today? Will you join your family in reading the Word of God today and praying together today?
