Devo 1
No time like the present, eh? Since Hubby is going to be camping this week, I thought it appropriate to write this first one titled 'Love a Good Mystery?'
rythm
Build a tent with some chairs and blankets like you used to do when you were kids. Get underneath, in the dark, with a flashlight.
listen to the music
Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another. Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.
Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church - a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ's love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They're really doing themselves a favor - since they're already "one" in marriage.
No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That's how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become "one flesh". This is a huge mystery, and I don't pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the Church. and this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband. (Eph. 5:21-33)
what we hear
It's a mystery to us, too. As Mark Twain so aptly put it, "It ain't those parts of the Bible I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand." There are parts of this passage that are stunningly clear. How about we just work on those?
what do you hear?
If you were to diagram your marriage, in what ways would it line up with the picture the apostle Paul painted of unity, love, respect, and honor?
What if Christ were to base his church on the way you love each other? Would it be a church you'd want to be part of? Why or why not?
Of the three concepts discussed in this passage (honor, sacrifice, cherishing), which is the easiest and the hardest for you to express? Why?
extended play
In The Message the word pamper is used to describe how we treat our bodies (Eph. 5:29). What do you do for each other that could be categorized as pampering? Get out your calendars and write in a "Pamper Day." (for those of you with babies still in diapers, that may not have a positive connotation, but try it anyway.) On this day you're responsible for planning one thing that is your mate's idea of luxury. You may have to divide the day in half to accomplish sufficient pampering for both of you, but it'll be worth it.
Just as a side note, the verses used in this devo again describe the necessity of not just a husband loving his wife, but how a wife is to honor, or RESPECT her husband. Both whether each deserves it or not. The book Love and Respect is wonderful at describing why and how. I highly recommend it.
rythm
Build a tent with some chairs and blankets like you used to do when you were kids. Get underneath, in the dark, with a flashlight.
listen to the music
Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another. Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.
Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church - a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ's love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They're really doing themselves a favor - since they're already "one" in marriage.
No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That's how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become "one flesh". This is a huge mystery, and I don't pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the Church. and this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband. (Eph. 5:21-33)
what we hear
It's a mystery to us, too. As Mark Twain so aptly put it, "It ain't those parts of the Bible I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand." There are parts of this passage that are stunningly clear. How about we just work on those?
what do you hear?
If you were to diagram your marriage, in what ways would it line up with the picture the apostle Paul painted of unity, love, respect, and honor?
What if Christ were to base his church on the way you love each other? Would it be a church you'd want to be part of? Why or why not?
Of the three concepts discussed in this passage (honor, sacrifice, cherishing), which is the easiest and the hardest for you to express? Why?
extended play
In The Message the word pamper is used to describe how we treat our bodies (Eph. 5:29). What do you do for each other that could be categorized as pampering? Get out your calendars and write in a "Pamper Day." (for those of you with babies still in diapers, that may not have a positive connotation, but try it anyway.) On this day you're responsible for planning one thing that is your mate's idea of luxury. You may have to divide the day in half to accomplish sufficient pampering for both of you, but it'll be worth it.
Just as a side note, the verses used in this devo again describe the necessity of not just a husband loving his wife, but how a wife is to honor, or RESPECT her husband. Both whether each deserves it or not. The book Love and Respect is wonderful at describing why and how. I highly recommend it.
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