‘Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a fellow believer has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her. And if a believing woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy. (But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the believing husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace.) Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you? Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches. ‘ 1 Corinthians 7:12-17(NLT)
‘This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. ‘ 1 Timothy 2:3-4(NLT)
‘And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.’ 1 John 5:14-15(NLT)
Agape. Philia. Eros. Serve your wife. Be her friend. Celebrate your holy union with passion.
Of course, this is all much easier to do when your wife follows Jesus, too—which is why God’s Word warns Christians not to marry non-Christians—but, even if your wife isn’t a follower of Christ, it is important that you continue to approach your marriage as the opportunity to glorify God that it is. If your wife is lost, your allowing God to love her through you could actually lead to her salvation.
Keep on keeping on. No matter how your wife responds, love her like Jesus loved the Church. Give yourself up for her. Lead her by example. Recognize your marriage for the blessing it is and make it a priority.
If your wife doesn’t know Jesus yet, ask God to draw and rescue her and He will. How can you be sure that He will? The Bible tells us that God doesn’t want anyone to die separated from Him and perish in Hell. It also tells us that He answers prayers of His faithful ones, the prayers that line up with His will, with a great big, “Yes!”
- Is your wife a Christian?
- If not, what do you need to pray for?
- If so, what do you need to thank God for?
- How might loving your wife well advance the Gospel?
- Is it worth the effort?
Read 1 Corinthians 7:12-17, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, and 1 John 5:14-15.
from Becoming The Husband She Needs