You Deserve to be Cherished

To my sweet daughters, it's been way to long since I last wrote to you. Whenever you read this, if you think back in time, you'll remember how busy we were when I wrote this to you. My neglecting of your blog is only because I have been showering you with my time. :)

As I've mentioned before, I have been praying for your future spouses since before you were born. I often wonder about them. Who are they? Do we already know them? Are they living a good life or is life difficult for them? Most of all, I pray that they are growing to be God honoring men. I pray that they are growing to be fully devoted followers of Christ, just as I pray that for you. I believe that if they are fully devoted to Christ, then they will treat you like gold! The Bible is clear on how men should treat their wives, therefore, they'll treat you as God intends a husband to treat his wife.

Recently I was reading Ephesians 5:22-30 and couldn't help but think how much the secular world frowns upon this idea of marriage. Verse 22 says, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord." It goes on to say that the husband is the head of the wife. I think so many non believers get stuck on this idea that wives are to be submissive and take whatever the husband dishes at them. I, however, don't think that's what scripture is saying at all! If you read on in verse 25, Paul says, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her." Husbands are to be equally respectful to their wives as wives are to their husbands. Most of all, what scripture is saying through words like, "as to the Lord" and "as Christ," is that marriage is to be GOD CENTERED! A marriage is set up to fail if God is not the center. Although marriage has been fairly easy for your father and me, even with God as the center, it won't always be easy, but it will be good. That's because God is perfection and will bless your marriage if you honor Him.

Another key point that I don't want you to miss is found in verse 27, "So that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." What I'm about to say is extremely important! If you are dating a young man and he is not living for Christ, run! If he pressures you about anything, run! If he says the only way you can prove your love to him is by sleeping with him, RUN FAST! A true, good man will TREASURE you and RESPECT you. A true, good man wants nothing more than to meet you at the alter completely cleansed and pure because he loves God and he loves you and wants to honor you both.

Finally, I conclude with a short, simple verse that I think says it all. Verse 30 says, "Because we are members of His body." What I think Paul is saying is that husbands and wives treat each other as the Bible says because we belong to God. God lives in us and wants nothing more than to have our hearts! I love you!