«Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her» (Ephesians 5:25).
“TO LOVE,» WRITE GAYLE AND MIKE TUCKER, «is a decision we make every day» At first glance, this statement seems to be very obvious, but it is not because the promises we made before God—to love, honor, and protect our spouse until death do us part—must be renewed every day. Obviously, this decision is not difficult to maintain while the gentle breeze of health and prosperity blows. The problem arises when we are shaken by the winds of illness and adversity.
An example of the latter is provided by Mike Tucker. He says that one day he met a man who had spent the last ten years of his life caring for his sick wife. She couldn’t walk on her own, dress herself, or bathe herself.
«Didn’t it consume you to take care of her in that way?» Mike asked.
«Oh, no!» The man said, with tears in his eyes. «I considered it an honor to have been by her side when she needed me the most.»‘
If this is not honoring the marriage vow, can anyone say what it means to love «in health and in sickness, until death do us part»? Another illustrative example is given by Robertson McQuilkin when he resigned from the position he had held for 22 years as president of Columbia Bible College and Seminary, when his wife, Muriel, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. As soon as the diagnosis was confirmed, Robertson asked the board to start looking for his replacement, but then friends tried to dissuade him.
«She doesn’t know who you are,» they told him. To which he replied, «She doesn’t know who I am, but I know who she is.»
When, because of the firmness of his decision, the board proposed that he work part time, he replied, «Didn’t I promise, 42 years ago, that I would be by her side ‘in health and in sickness, until death do us part’? At the end of the day, she took care of me during these forty years. Now, it’s my turn. »
If at this moment hurricane-force winds are knocking on the door of your marriage; if the gigantic waves seem to devour you, and in your mind has crossed the idea of abandoning ship, think of the promise that you one day made before God to love, honor, and protect your spouse in sickness and in health until death do you part. Isn’t this ultimately what it means to love?
Wasn’t it also out of love, albeit on an infinitely larger scale, that the Lord Jesus died for you and me on Calvary?
Enable me, heavenly Father, to love as You love me. Only then can I honor not only my marriage vows, but also the promises I make to those I love.
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2022
“GREAT IS OUR GOD!”
From: FERNANDO ZABALA
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate
