Honoring Christ & Our Husbands

Today Jennifer of Blessed Femina is sharing with us:

If we aren't in the Word or loving Christ with our whole heart then we truly can't love our husbands like we should. I love that incredible quote by CS Lewis~ 
 
When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.  ― C.S. Lewis, Letters

This is SO true!

Do you continually seek to set aside time with the Lord in prayer & His Word? 

I know we all can struggle with this one at times (including myself!) but pray to the Lord to give you strength and determination to continually seek Him.

This will help in all aspects of your marriage and your relationship with others.                         

For busy wives and moms this might mean not being able to read an entire chapter or book but rather reading, meditating and memorizing a short verse for that week. Post it in your kitchen, decorate it, put in the car, laundry room, or your bedroom... wherever you spend the most time so it's visible... Involve the little ones and have them be your Bible memory partners! 

Don't be afraid to mark your Bible! I know some aren't comfortable with this and that's totally fine... I just happen to be a very visual person so marking my favorite Bible verses and adding symbols helps me to implant the Word in my heart & mind.

I love to mark all of the verses that relate to being a wife/mother in pink....

then when I'm flipping through my Bible I can easily see the ways a godly woman should honor her family and husband. 

Listening to Bible audio, sermons, spiritual songs and hymns... whilst cleaning the house is a great way to do this as well. Some of my greatest theological lessons have been learned through listening to RC Sproul whilst scrubbing the bathroom floor.  

Oh and have I mentioned....folding laundry is the perfect time to pray for your husband & children too.

One of my favorite verses since I got married has been from Proverbs 31:23:

"Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land."

Are you a wife who makes her husband known in the gates?

That verse IS so special and so significant.

We as wives have the great power and influence to make our husbands known in the gates.....how beautiful!

You might be thinking what does that look like?

It means honoring him, encouraging him, building him up, being more concerned about HIS needs than your OWN needs. (Mark 12:31) It means refusing to speak ill of him to others and instead speaking well of his good qualities and letting him and others know them. Being thankful for him. Looking at your own sin more than his and seeking to improve yourself. It means being aware of the ways you can be a better helpmeet to him... for each husband that looks different. Get to know your beloved and friend... discover the ways that make him feel more loved! That may simply mean having soothing music and candles going when he gets home, making his favorite dinner or leaving love notes in his briefcase. 

Sure there are times when we must gently say something to our husbands or make an appeal to them when we see a sin issue in their lives but our focus should not be expecting immediate action. We should not finger point or belittle them with our words. No! We are called to be patient! There is plenty of sin in our own hearts that we need to be focused on. Our goal should always be restoration and realizing that we are not their conscience -- God is. And even if we bring something to them that they might not see... we are called to pray, forgive and move on... knowing that God is working in ways that might not yet be known or understood. Keeping the focus on our own sin and continuing in the path of grace is our ultimate goal.

Being a wife that honors her husband brings glory to God. When children see this in a marriage there is so much comfort, joy, sweetness and security that springs forth in their little hearts. You have a great opportunity to show your little ones what a godly marriage looks like..., exalting Christ and putting your spouse's needs before your own. This is what the Christian life is about... serving others first before ourselves. Dying to our wants, our desires, our needs... and seeking to love another more than oneself.....that is true JOY!

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." -I Peter 4:8 

 
Living her dream of being a wife and homemaker. Jen happily resides in sweet home Alabama. She firmly believes that the home is a beautiful canvas for biblical hospitality, servant hood and discipleship. All aspects of homemaking are on her list of interests including gourmet cooking, baking, calligraphy, sewing and embroidery. She is also inspired by photography, music, theology and biblical womanhood. 

Jen blogs at Blessed Femina, which she founded in the fall of 2008 to encourage other women in Biblical femininity. It is her greatest desire to live a life depicted in I Corinthians 10:31: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.


(Republished from the archives & this post contains affiliate links--thanks for your support!)


If you need further reading on this topic, I highly recommend The Excellent Wife:

"Martha Peace, a nouthetic counselor of women, has written an Excellent Volume. Not only does it explain what God "requires" of a Christian wife, but it explains clearly how to obey God's commandments in order to become that wife. Get it, read it and profit from it."

"The Excellent Wife" is an absolute must for women today. This book is a welcomed first because it is a Scripturally based, systematic and practical work for today's women. Within its pages is a detailed portrait of a godly wife. Not only is the standard high and godly, but Martha demonstrates that by God's grace, it is attainable..."

You can find this book HERE.