Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them. Colossians 3:19
It is amazing how God works! Yesterday, we started our series looking at Colossians 3:18-21. So it was naturally on my mind to write about verse 19 today and support what was said in the preceding 18th verse from yesterday’s post – about the mutual nature of submission in marriage. Amazingly, I was reading Coach Tony Dungy’s 2007 book, Quiet Strength, where he refers to Colossians 3:19 as one of the verses he studied the week prior to coaching the 1997 Tampa Bay Buccaneer’s football team in their first playoff game in 15 years.
Coach Dungy talked about how that verse along with the similar message of Ephesians 5:25 helped him to put life and success in perspective. The city of Tampa Along with all of their fans everywhere were going crazy over the success of the team, but God was reminding coach Dungy of a greater significance – his wife.
The weight of what he shared about balancing success and marriage, along with the fact that I was getting ready to write a post on this same verse really grabbed my attention.
Husbands are charged with loving their wives and not being harsh toward them.
If that is not the example of what I mentioned in yesterday’s post about submission being mutual then I don’t know what is. I keep searching for the criteria by which husbands are to love their wives. Or when a husband is not to be harsh toward his wife, but…it does not give any criteria or expiration date. It just says do it. I can not even find an escape clause, for if the wife gets on the husbands nerves (per chance), or if she is wrong, just – love and don’t be harsh.
Tears are now close by, because there have been so many times that I did not heed the wisdom of this verse. No, not the love part, but the thing about “don’t be harsh”. Then again can you be harsh and still claim love?
Lord, give all of us, as husbands the strength to love and not be harsh toward our wives. Amen!
How about you, share your thoughts, how does this verse speak to you, as either a husband or wife?
If this post elevated how you think about marriage, be a blessing to someone else by sharing it with them.
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Events & Speaking Engagements
April 27, 2013 Elevate Your Marriage Conference at Clearview Baptist Church , 8660 Winands Road, Randallstown, Md. 21133
May 13, 2013 10am CDT/11am EST Front Page Morning Show (Radio) with host Mark Halvorsen on WWIB 103.7 FM in Wisconsin. Outside of Wi. listen live online at wwib.com
May 16, 2013 7:40am EST, Mayhem in the A.M. Morning Show LIVE. Toledo, Ohio 89.3 FM YES-FM . Also tune in to hear the interview on yeshome.com
May 24, 2013 7-10am EST Ken and Deb Morning Show. Edward will be talking about Elevate Your Marriage book on Moody Radio 89.3 in Quad Cities Illinois.
May 30, 2013 11amEST/10amCT Tune in to the This is the Day radio program with Nancy Turner on Moody Radio - Chicago 90.1 WMBI. Edward will be talking about the recent blog post, "6 Things That Make an Exceptional Spouse".
June 1, 2013 Book Signing at A Quiet Place Bookstore, 4736 Liberty Heights Ave., Baltimore, Md. 21207
June 29, 2013 11am-1pm Mini-Marriage Seminar & Book Signing at A Quiet Place Bookstore, 4736 Liberty Heights Ave., Baltimore, Md. 21207. Marriage seminars will be held at: 11, 11:30, 12 & 12:30.
July 6, 2013 Elevate Your Marriage Conference, Sandersville, Ga. 9:30 a.m.
July 11-14th, 2013 Edward @ EYM blog will be hosting a Pastor's Roundtable on Marriage at the Better Marriages Conference in Raleigh on July 12th. Come join me. Mention Elevate Your Marriage when you register!
"Sat, July 13th Edward and Kimber will speaking on Elevating Communication in Marriage at the Better Marriages Conference.
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