Proverbs 18:22(NLT)
“He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.”
I was watching a movie the other day and the first scene was two young boys playing on the playground. They saw a pretty girl playing alone and ran up to her and asked if she wanted to play with them. Later, while riding their bikes home, the boys were going back and forth about who was going to ask her to be his girlfriend. One of them said “I saw her first – so, I’m going to ask her, not you!” This scene reminded me that men begin to shape their perceptions about females very early on. How different things would be if they were taught to increase their honor and respect for women as they matured into manhood. For a good many of them, that just isn’t the case.
Society has had a huge influence on the perspective of many men regarding marriage, and also on their appreciation of the blessedness of having a wife. Many of God’s truths and standards have been ignored because of this. A man might come up with a dozen excuses why he wants to continue playing the field, and the truth is that many women make this very easy for him. So, in these modern times, it’s not uncommon to hear a man say that he just doesn’t see the benefit of marriage, and he doesn’t value the importance of having the support of a loving wife. As single women, we have to face the reality that for some of them, it’s just not in their hearts. Some men view marriage as one big headache after the other and say they would rather not have someone complaining and placing demands on them. When a man thinks this way, trying to change his opinion about marriage can be a huge challenge, and we have to ask ourselves if it’s worth it.
The truth is that women who love God and are faithful to Him should not have to contend with trying to change a man’s mind about marriage. Your prayer should be to meet someone that from the very beginning believes in what you can have in and with one another. God will answer this prayer, but He expects you to honor the standard in His Word.
Ephesians 5:24-25(NLT) says, “24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. 25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.” The love that Jesus Christ has in his heart for us is the standard that our Heavenly Father holds for a husband. This man must love his wife to such a degree that he views any sacrifice he makes for her benefit as a privilege. God’s standard is that we, as women, submit to a man who will love us this way, and this is not a burden, but a blessing that yields increased honor, intimacy, and unity in a marriage.
2Corinthians 5:21(NLT) says, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” Two exceedingly precious treasures that Jesus Christ owned when he walked the face of this earth is his relationship with God and his life. When he took on our sins, he sacrificed both to save us from the depths of darkness and hell. Romans 5:5(NLT) declares, “And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” The Holy Spirit comes to live inside us and brings this love with him. It’s what our Heavenly Father wanted for us and we desperately needed it. Because of what God has done through Jesus Christ, we can become born again and our hearts can know and give true and real love, and we can expect to receive this love in return.
The requirements that God has set forth in His Word are everything! And if you don’t love the standard, you can’t have it. Learn to love God’s Will for marriage. Don’t let society frame your desires, and don’t bow to societal pressures or standards. If you want a Godly union that will last, your standard of how you want to be loved should match God’s Word. When it does, you don’t have to worry about whether your future husband will know how to love you, or whether he will want to. When God brings the two of you together, that man will have already made up his mind. He will know what he wants, and he will recognize it in you.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“A Man Knows Who He Wants”, written by Kim Times, edited by Fran Mack and KLizzie for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2024. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.