Devotions 30-01-08 (Eph 5:33)

" Nevertheless let each individual among you also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see to it that she respect her husband."

This is really the summary of Eph 5:22-33 but I want to think on this a little before I started getting into the details of what a wife and a husband should do.
Since a husband is to love his wife she should do all she can to encourage him in his love for her. In the same way the husband should do all he can to encourage her to respect him. There must be a close and committed involvement with each other to fulfill the God given role's God has for us to accomplish.

Often the husband gets to concerned about his wife not doing all she should and he fails to focus on the responsibilities that he has. The wife is often seeking for more love from her husband and she is not respecting him as she ought. We must work hard at what God has given us to do and to pray for our partner to do what God wants them to do.

The background of all this is Eph 5:1-2 to be at work in our lives. We must be busy at imitating God and living a life of godly love. When I am doing this the roles God has for me are not that difficult to perform. If I am not working at imitating God then these roles are nearly impossible to perform.

Lord, thank You for the clear roles that You have for both the husband and the wife. We are not left to figure out our roles but to obey you in the roles You know is best for us. Lord, help me to lead and to love my wife in a way that would bring glory and honor to You. Help me to pray for my wife to be the helper I know she desires to be for me. I am so grateful for the mate You have provided for me.