Have you ever watched the show on PBS where someone brings in an antique, and the appraiser talks about that item a little and then gives a value to that item? Sometimes, the person is amazed at the unexpected value of the heirloom or greatly disappointed. The truth is that value placed on an item is determined by how much someone is willing to pay for that item.
As mentioned in a previous post the husband is charged with leading his wife as a servant leader. One of the most important, if not the most important, ways that we fulfill our role as head of the wife is to recognize the value of our wife. Peter mentions in 1 Peter 3 that the husband is to honor his wife. The literal meaning behind “honor” is “to value something.” The word “showing” means “to assign.” That verb “showing” is a present participle in the Greek text.
Gentlemen, it is crucial that we value our wives and that we heap upon them true, godly value. It is not something we do occasionally when we want sex or whatever else. As the usage of the present participle suggests assigning value to our wives is a daily, consistent act of our own love toward our own wives.
All too often we selfishly expect our wives to show us how much they love us by taking care of our children, doing our laundry, and all the other things that we think we are due. How wrong we are!
When you heap value into your wife’s heart what you are doing is recognizing the tremendous value and worth that God places on your wife – not because she is your wife, but because she belongs to Him. Think of it this way, men. Jesus Christ, our Model, heaped value upon us as individuals when He considered us important enough to leave heaven and die for you and me. He considered us valuable when He plucked us out of the fiery pit we were doomed for. He heaped worth on us when He counted us worthy to cause spiritual growth in our lives. He heaped value on us when He prepared our place in heaven.
Husbands, we cannot see the true value of our wives unless you and I are in the right relationship with God. We should not look at our lovely wives through our own eyes but through God’s eyes. It is the only way that we can truly see the worth of those women who sleep beside us at night, who hold our hands on walks, and who love us in spite of who we are. Guys, heaping value on your wife and into her heart begins with a heart that is tender before God. It begins with us developing the ability to listen to her heart and setting aside our selfish motives and wants. Once again, it requires the heart of a servant.
We assign value to our wives in many ways. One way we value our wives is to take the time to pray with her. I don’t mean that surface prayer that we pray as we are running out the door for work. I mean a real, heartfelt prayer. It doesn’t have to be an hour long. It could be just a few minutes. It just has to be real. Another way we value our wives is by taking the time to genuinely compliment and bless her (with no ulterior motives). There are other ways to heap value on your wife. I’ll let you think them up; although, I don’t know if I would suggest sending your wife to the basement when the company comes J.
The bottom line is this: your greatest act of love is to place true, God ordained value into your wife’s heart and to proclaim her value to the world. You can only do that when you look at your wife through God’s eyes. You can only do that when you have the heart of a servant. It requires humility. It requires selflessness. It requires total and complete dependence on God; after all, we are just ordinary men who serve an extraordinary God.
God Bless!
mrc
