“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Ephesians 5:25 (NIV)
Guys, I feel your pain. At first, when I read this part of Scripture, I just felt defeated. How am I, an imperfect guy, supposed to love my wife like Jesus? Come on man! He just happens to be God and He perfectly loved the church. Ouch!
This scenario is kind of like playing a one-on-one game against Lebron James. I don’t stand a chance. I have lost the game before it even started. Like Lebron, Jesus is going to “posterize” me in the relationship department. For those who don’t know, “posterize” means you have been dunked on so bad that it will be put on a poster. It’s not good.
So now I am asked to come to church and hear some preacher read this verse and tell me how bad I play the relationship game. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to go. And get this, I’m the pastor! Do you feel me guys?
But there is a glimmer of hope. Thank God! Jesus is not in the business of humiliating us. He is our advocate. He doesn’t want to see us lose. Yes, He has given us a high standard to reach for, and that is not a bad thing. If we want to succeed in basketball, it would make sense to emulate Lebron’s game. If we want to win in love and make our marriages the best they can be, it makes sense to learn from Jesus, the creator and the very definition of love.
I propose we make ridiculously God-sized goals and strive to love our wives as much as Jesus loved the church. He served the church. He sacrificed for the church. He was selfless with the church. I guess if we start with those three things, we will be on the road to greatness. Well, at least our wives will see us trying and that, my friends, is a good place to be.
David Towner is the author of Today Is My Favorite Day and the Pastor of The Harbor Church in Odessa, FL. He has three daughters ,Shana, Kari, and Rebekah and four grandsons, Caleb, Cohen, Cade, and Jack.