"Passionate Housewives," pt 3

Thank you to those of you who have already given me some great feedback on these “snippets.” It’s such a gift to be able to encourage each other in the Lord!

You Mean It’s Not All About Me?

“For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.” (Philippians 3:18-19)

…God has given us all we need to satisfy our bodies and souls just as He did our first parents. Yet we still choose those things that please us rather than please Him. Instead of trusting that God will satisfy us, we continue to attempt to satisfy ourselves.

…We, that is, Christians as a whole, spend far more time reading self-help books, and listening to motivational speakers that we do reading God’s Word or praying and making our requests known to Him.

What About Me?

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

Many well-meaning Christians want to share with us steps on how we should better serve ourselves and remind us of how much more we truly deserve, yet God clearly tells us we are to die to ourselves and serve Him by serving others.

…we were bought with a price, therefore we must glorify God in our bodies and in our spirits, which are God’s (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We belong to Him – purchased by His own precious blood. Therefore, no matter what He asks of us, it is never too much, and what He expects of us is clear:

“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:12-13)

…I remember once counseling a young woman who was having difficulty submitting to her husband. When I explained to her that Scripture required her to submit to her husband as unto the Lord, she insisted, with more than a little indignation, that it was impossible to submit to a man who wasn’t even trying to meet her needs. It was actually his fault, she explained, that she was forced to sin by not respecting him.

She went on to describe how her pastor had told her that Scripture didn’t require her to even love her husband (ignoring Titus 2:4); only her husband was given that mandate toward her. The neglectful minister also told my friend that she was only required to submit to her husband as long as he “loved her as Christ loved the church.” To make it even more confusing, she believed that she was the one who was to decide what “loving her” meant, which in her estimation included (among a long list of other things) how well he fathered their children.

I asked her pointedly, “So, are you saying that you believe you are only required to submit to your husband on the days when he ‘loves you as Christ loved the church?’”

“Yes,” she said resolutely. “When he shows me that kind of love, I will have no problem submitting to him.”

Her resolve quickly diminished when I pointed out to her that by her logic, her husband also would only be required to love her on those days when she submitted to him as unto the Lord. On the days when he viewed her behavior as unsubmissive, he was free to ignore and neglect her. I explained to her that if they both continued to insist on “living for self” rather than “dying to self,” neither would ever see success in their marriage. In addition, their children would view marriage as a miserably endless tug-of-war, rather than a picture of oneness played out in life-giving harmony.

…She repented and purposed to submit to her husband regardless of his response or the amount of love and attention he showed her and the children…

…It made all the difference in the world in her attitude; she was free to love her husband and family without expectation (Romans 12:10) – and God met her needs.