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Men of Integrity, September/October 2002
Fifty/Fifty?
Theme of the Week: Going Beyond 50/50
Sunday, September 29
Key Bible Verses: For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). Bonus Reading: Ephesians 5:25–33
The idea of marriage as a 50/50 partnership is a great misconception. I must give 110 percent regardless of my wife's response. This doesn't come naturally. I don't like being a servant, and respond poorly when treated like one. For me to willingly and unselfishly do anything God asks is amazing.
Years ago a friend asked me about my routine when arriving home from work. I described how I liked "my space," a newspaper, and uninterrupted watching of the six o'clock news—all of this in the context of four children and dinner activities! My friend asked me to consider whether I should come home to serve or to be served.
I had lots of rationalizations for my performance, but none held up to the test of Scripture and Christ's example. God has asked me to do nothing he hasn't given me the ability to do. I'm to love my wife as Christ loves the Church, however circumstances, thoughts, and feelings may change. Commitment in the bond of marriage is the basis for love; love is not the basis of marriage. Only God can love first!
—Jack Heald in Loving Your Wife
Adapted from Loving Your Wife (NavPress, 1989) by permission.
Copyright © 2002 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
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September/October 2002, Vol. 5, No. 5
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Prayer for the Week |
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O Christ, help me model the way I relate to my wife after Your sacrificial love for the Church.
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