July 9 - 1 Peter 3:1,5

you wives must accept

the authority of your husbands.

This is how the holy women of old

made themselves beautiful.

They put their trust in God and

accepted the authority

of their husbands.

1 Peter 3:1,5

^NLT

 

It’s counter-cultural – “wives, submit to your husbands.”

 

To some it’s offensive – “wives must accept the authority of your husbands.”

 

But listen to this: This pattern of marriage and relationship is “beautiful.” Indeed, Scripture says, “This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful.”

 

But pay attention to why … It wasn’t primarily their relationship with their husbands that was making them beautiful. It was their relationship with God that was making them beautiful!

 

Listen to what Scripture says: “They put their trust in God and accepted the authority of their husbands [and] this is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful.”

 

The beauty comes from trusting in God.

 

The beauty comes from honoring God’s creation, obeying God’s pattern, from trusting God’s ways.

 

Hear this clearly: Men and women (husbands and wives) are equal. By God, we are given complimentary roles. The demand on the husband is actually higher – love your wife like Christ loved the church (which means, give up everything for her, including your very life). Wives, your call is sacrificial too. You are called to respect what is respectable.

 

Read that again: You are called to respect what is respectable. (And that’s why it pays to picky on the front-end – in courtship. We’ll talk about that tomorrow. But wives, your bad choice on the front-end does not absolve you from basic respect on the back end …) And part of your beauty, according to Scripture, is trusting God enough to honor what is honorable in your husband. (Even if sometimes it seems like you have to look hard for it.)

 

Honor what is honorable. Respect what is respectable. And if you do that, you will get the most out of your husband.

 

Question: Brides, are you respecting what is respectable in your husband? (And guys, this works for you too: Are you honoring and celebrating what is honorable in her?)

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who is five-times the man

he would be otherwise …

because his wife honors him