For men who are married, I doubt that there is any greater challenge than the one posed by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: "Husbands, love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it" (5:25). Loving our wives is easy, but loving them "just as Christ loved the church" sets a very high standard. Therefore, it is important that we see just how Christ loved the church so that we might act accordingly toward our wives.

Christ loved the church sacrificially

He "gave Himself for it." To succeed at loving our wives "as Christ does the church," we must have an attitude of sacrificial service toward them. It's not likely that we will have to die for our wives, but we must be willing to serve their needs. As husbands, we need to understand that our wives' needs differ from our own. True love "does not seek its own" (1 Cor. 13:5). It is our responsibility to meet the needs of our wives. A great "fringe benefit" of doing this well is that our wives will respond in kind by making sure that our needs are met.

While not all wives have identical needs, a survey of Christians attending a ladies' Bible class showed that their number one need is for their husbands to provide spiritual leadership. Other expressed needs (in order of their importance) were family commitment, communication, affection, and financial security.

Christ loved the church exclusively

The apostle says that Christ's gift of Himself was "that He might sanctify and cleanse it" (v.26). Though Jesus loves the whole world, He has "set apart" His church from the world. He has only one bride. The marriage relationship requires sanctification - a setting apart from other relationships. In marriage, the husband is "set apart" to belong to the wife, and the wife is "set apart' to belong to the husband - he for her; her for him. Any interference with this God-given arrangement is sin.

Christ loved the church caringly

"So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church" (vs.28-29). The word nourish means "to feed," and the word cherish means "to soften by heat" [Vine]. I think we know what we do for someone or something we cherish - "protect and care for lovingly; hold something dear" [American Dictionary].

Christ loved the church enduringly

As the church is joined to Christ, so "a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh" (v.31). This is a reference to the intimate sexual relationship between a husband and wife. However, Jesus used this same quote to teach the inseparability of marriage (Matt. 19:5-6). As Christ and His bride are "one body" which nothing can separate (Rom. 8:35-39), so the husband and wife are "one flesh" which man must not separate.

From the beginning, God said, "it is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him" (Gen. 2:18). As men, we should have a great appreciation for our wives. We should view them as highly-prized (and nicely packaged) gifts from our Creator. He knows just what we need to help us go to Heaven.

- www.thinkonthesethings.com