A Thought For Men

Ephesians 5:25 "Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;"

I love researching words to better understand what God is saying in a verse.  Such is the case with the word "gave" in the verse above.  

The word "gave" means to put into the hands of another.  Whenever we put something into the hands of another we are also giving that person the right to choose what to do with it... correct?  I find this thought to be convicting for the following reason.  Often I find myself not in agreement or at outright odds with the  individual whom I have given something because of the way they choose to use it or treat it.  If I honestly gave it to them I also handed over to them the responsibility for the care and use of it.  

Application: Have we really given our lives to God for the sake of our marriage as Christ did for the church? He put His life in the hands of God the Father and suffered unconscionable torture and suffering at the hands of those that hated Him.  Do we give this way that God might sanctify our marriages with healing and cleansing?   

We say, "Yes, I give my all for my wife working 40, 50, and 60 hours a week to support her." But then we come home and expect to be waited on hand and foot as the lord of the house!  You never saw this in the way Jesus gave it all.  He became the servant surrendering His very life for His bride, the church, therefore many people struggle today in their marriages because of the man's refusal to submit to the will of God the Father.  Why do men require submission from the wife when they neglect to submit to their authority?

Just a thought...