"Let the wife see...."

"However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband." Ephesians 5:33 This is an equal command to man to give his wife what's the hardest for him to give and for the woman to give what's the hardest for her to give. When married to the perfect person, it comes easier, but knowing so few of us are perfect, God gives us each a duty. Women love easily, but we tend to try to be 'holy spirits' to our men. That's not respecting them. That's trying to renew them. It's not our job to renew them and it's also not respecting God. Like our relationships with our fathers are reflected in our relationships with our husbands (our heads) are reflected in our relationships with Christ. If we aren't respecting our earthly headships, we most likely have a problem respecting our heavenly Lord, too. Christ is easier to respect because He is perfect and earned it, but God's command isn't to men to earn our respect. It is to women to give the respect to at least the position if you can't respect the man. But if you show respect to your husband, you're giving him the freedom to become respectable. You're releasing him to respond to the work God is doing in him, for God to mold him into a man of God - the man of God you also want him to be. Or do you? Women do like to be in control and we have a responsibility to control our homes. But that is to control them under our husband's leadership. We must not contradict his wishes, unless they go against God. But we can control our homes within our husbands leadership and preferences. That's one way we respect them. I love the Proverbs 31 verse that says "the heart of her husband trusts in her...she does him good, and not harm.." (vs. 11, 12) That's respecting his wishes, preferences, position and person. As we trust God and entrust our man to God, we can respect our husbands and be the complement he needs. We will no doubt be loved in return. The commands go hand in hand, as should we.

...may have the strength to comprehend...

"...being rooted & grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth..." Ephesians 3:17b-18 I find it interesting that the ESV chose "strength" to comprehend. Why not use "be able"? How great is God's love that we need strength to comprehend it? Just what is the breadth, length, height and depth of God's love, the love in which we are to be rooted and grounded? This is agape love-unconditional-that can only be from God Who is love. So we are to be rooted and grounded in God. Yes, we need strength to see all the depth of His sacrifice, the length of everlasting eternity of His love, the height and depth of His endless grace and mercy. It's mind-boggling! We put limits on things. We box in our love with conditions, but God has no limits and no conditions to His love or to Himself. God is eternal, all powerful, all-sufficient, all knowing and His love is everlasting. Yes, oh Lord, give us the strength to comprehend the vastness of this glorious love!

The Lord will fight for you...

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14 I always love the drive to visit my sister because it's hours in the car and I can think with so few interruptions. So I've begun to journal to verses in my diary. This is the one I wrote Sunday. That's tough to be so full of faith that we let God do all the fighting for us. Will He really do all the work? Don't I need to fight too and let Him help me? But that's not what this verse promises. God says we need only to be still. The ESV says to be "silent". Relax. Don't say a word. The Lord promises to fight for you. Pray about it, express your fears and concerns, but praise Him too for what He's about to do. For what He is doing! Be still, that's your part. The Lord Almighty is doing His!

There is none holy as the Lord....

"There is none holy as the Lord; for there is none beside thee; neither is there any rock like our God." 1 Samuel 2:2 God is faithful and unchanging. He is our secure rock foundation that can't be moved. It's such a relaxing feeling knowing His constancy. That we rest in, but His holiness is too often set aside. He is our only God and there is none beside Him. But I think if we really knew His holiness we would come before Him with much more reverence and much less of a Christmas list. Sometimes that's all I come to Him with, or so it seems. But here lately, I'm glad to be able to say that my heart has naturally been praising Him - and that we should! Praise Him for His many attributes and praise Him for His holiness, too. Learn to rest in that as well.