Cherish Your Wife (Part 2 of 2)

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Walt shared he said in the creation account in the book of Genesis. If you look at the original Greek language. It says Adam was formed, but Eve was built that the same word used for the intricate architecture of God's temple. You might say she was handcrafted by God that Walt also referred to the New Testament.

First Peter 37 in the King James version which says husbands, dwell with your wives according to knowledge that giving honor to the wife, as unto the weaker vessel and as being heirs together of the grace of life that your prayers may not be hindered. Walt pointed out that the phrase weaker vessel is not referring to something substandard, but something like fine China in modern secular Greek, the word describes valuable and fragile artwork and he'll continue that analogy today as we listen at you if you missed part one last time, get in touch with us because there are so many great nuggets of wisdom here. We can send you the entire message on CD or audio download so you can hear it again are here for the first time. Our number is 800 232-645-9800 a family, or@focusonthefamily.com/radio. Here's our former colleague Dr. Walt Larimore, a respected physician, author and speaker as he was giving a message at a conference that we hosted here at Focus on the Family for physicians and their spouses saying that of Clive that you been commissioned by your father in heaven to be the curator the caretaker, the preserver of an art gallery and art gallery that holds one of his most precious art pieces, one that he designed for you in the game for you, your spouse, the owner of this art gallery men hold you responsible for her care and holds us responsible for caring for her, and it is such an incredible job in such an important commission.

It's such a wonderful and magnificent calling that if we don't do it if we refuses an active our will to carry that out. If we let DOS together on that artwork that he designed for us. Peter tells us that the father will not talk to us a look at what he's value as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. Woman is designed to respond to you to respect to have an extremely high regard for this type of man. The type of man that will honor and value her is one that she is designed to respond to. She's designed to react to a real man is the world described real man.

This is a story that may indicate how most of the world describes a romantic passenger plane was compounded by a raging storm. The five passenger screams certain of their imminent death young woman jumped up and exclaimed I can't take this guy like an animal, strapped into a chair. If I must parish let me die feeling like a real woman and who here is a real man manly enough to make me feel like a real one will immediately from upfront us drafting root of a man, handsome smile began to stroll back to her and as he approached, he tore off his shirt is huge muscles rippling dramatically in the flashes of lightning and he stood before her certain hand and said here iron this not wrong manner. Scriptures correct your woman was not designed to be your servant.

She is not designed to serve you. She is designed to co-serve God with you. Your ministry cannot be what God intends your ministry. Be with out her and guys, I've got some really bad news because you are commanded to love her and she is not commanded you look at Scripture turn your Bibles to the fifth chapter of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians in Paul's marriage manual to the church, God's divinely inspired word some balancing faith and your family. This is what he says. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for so that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of the word, that he might present to himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He loves his own wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church man, Paul commands us to agape our lives the same way Christ agape's class. Then when we are moody Christ agape since we rebel and do not honor him. Christ. Agape is when we reject his approaches are spurn his appeals are denying him intimacy with us. Christ accompanies this guys the bar is set very very high.

Indeed, we are to love our lives the way Christ loves us. We are to love her more than our own bodies more than our own work more than her own hobbies more than our sports events. Our cars are trucks even more than our golf clubs, fishing rods, hunting equipment, remote control, not only are we to agape her were to nourish and cherish her in the Greek word is translated nourishes a wonderful picture of our responsibilities and honoring our lives. The Greek word is a traffic and it means to to rear up to maturity to train build up to nourish you want to know how to nourish her want to know how to nourish your wives will there's at least 40 ways in Scripture that Scripture tells us how we can nourish our lives out in Scripture there called the one another versus and I believe the wise man will look up the one another versus and study them and begin to practice them. These verses tell us not only what to do with and for one another, but they tell us about how to care for and how to nourish our lives. These verses tell us to be at peace with our lives to be devoted to our lives to encourage our wives to build up our lives to serve our lives, honor our wives to greet our lives with the holy kiss. We are told to not provoke or envy our lives were commanded to forgive whatever grievances we have against our lives were told to make our love increase and overflow for our lives to be patient with our lives and to bear with our lives not be a bear with our wives were commanded to wash their feet to live in harmony with them to stop judging them to instruct them and teach them and to speak them with to them with songs enhancing spiritual song. Many want to know how to do this you want to know how to take the first step towards nourishing your wife and I guarantee you 100% that this will work. Sure, you want to know just ask her just ask her she be delighted to regale you with countless examples of how you come up short, but she also be delighted to encourage you with countless ways that you could succeed in this area you would honor her just by asking just my sincerely wanting to know and you bless her by asking for her forgiveness for not and you bless her my beginning today, when you nourish her, she's free and compelled.

Only then can nourish and return your listening to physician Walt Larimore, Focus on the Family, and in a few moments will provide some relationship building ideas that you can try with your spouse tonight and by the way, get a CD or audio download of this program when you contact us.

Our number is 880 family 800-232-6459 or go to Focus on the Family.com/radio let's return now to Walt Larimore on Focus on the Family what Scripture teaches us about how our women were designed and built and created and how we should protect them and nourish them and cherish them and love them that which is not instinctual to us guys that which is been weathered by the world and the flesh and the devil was obvious was obvious to the first man Adam turned back if you would to Genesis chapter 2 verse 22 Moses records God's presentation of the woman to the man when he awoke, and in verse 23 he records Adam's response. Now, in Hebrew, transliterated to English. It goes something like this.

According to my Hebrew scholar friends I own my own my own right in the nick of time. This sexy work of art is awesome. This special one is my other to be part of me to completely strong where I'm week week where I am strong my match my perfect match. This masterpiece shall be called Mike Shaw for she completes me – the written art transliteration.

It's toned down just a bit. This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man but I hope you beginning to see the meaning and richness here expression bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh refers not to the woman as a secondary creature taking from the primary man but it refers to a total and complete relationship, the jewel of creation. This woman is not just a physical anatomic biologic resemblance to man.

She is part of him. She is bone and flesh with him, and without her peers as a bone without a muscle or muscle without they are stronger and more effective together with something else very dramatic happens in this verse the language of Scripture here takes a dramatic term because up to this point of time in Scripture is talked about man is the human being the man if you would is meant alone is been incomplete. But now that is been presented by God. That which God designed and built and created to complete him, he changes because Scripture now calls him the hot niche. This term describes man with very particular roles for he is now assigned by his creator.

The role of husband and may partner and protector provider and praise for what was designed to be his most valuable and honor, belonging his woman whose name also changes now to his half niche word for man as husband and protector provider priest used here in Scripture for the first time is derived from terms that mean blaze I had to leave to protect the word used by Scripture for the woman his wife here for the first time the word that describes the delicateness elegance value and preciousness. So Moses tells us in a very clever way. Both the differentiation of function and the oneness of man and woman, husband and wife now in a new community and new oneness of purpose a relationship of exchange and sharing with a reciprocity of names and a mutuality of responsible concerns. This antique narrative is as precious today.

Science points to both the ideal monogamy and the ideal of monogamy. Let's wrap up our time together want to be able to give you a couple of homework assignments about this wonderful picture that our father has put together for us through the pen of Moses. He teaches us that our life is our wow my own my own. My she's the final supreme act of creation. She was built and designed by your creator for you and she was presented to him man's first response to his woman should become our own. You should be able to look at your wife now and got my own.

My mind and she's not your menial she's not your servant is not your domestic helper she's the queen of all your earthly gifts.

She's been designed and if you properly value and treasure and nourish and treasure if you cherish her if you allow God to use you to honor her.

He will use you to together in incredible ways you've never seen ways that you cannot even imagine.

If you begin today to honor you can do it.

You must do it. Here's your three homework assignments for today Barb and I have friends that get married would buy them a beautiful but empty box and that we place a piece of prose. It goes like this. Most people get married believing a myth. They believe that marriage is a beautiful box full of all the things they long for.

They believe the boxes full of companionship, sexual fulfillment, intimacy and friendship. The truth is that marriage at the start is an empty box. You must put something in before you can take something to love and marriage. Love is in people and people put it in marriage is no romance and marriage.

People have to infuse it into their marriages couple must learn this art.

This form of the habit of giving the habit of loving and serving and of praising, it's up to you as a couple to keep your box to take out more than you put in the box will be empty so here's your first assignment.

Husbands and wives start looking for that empty box. Find it and purchase it maybe leave and be a silver box, use it as a marriage altar use it as a reminder of this mountaintop week. Focus on the Family and filling daily with one another's let it remind you man to love and nourish and cherish your wife use it as a memorial to your marriage is your second homework assignment want to tell you about one of the most special gifts that you get here this week at Focus on the Family. It's called the marriage barometer and it's free. It will tell you in an instant. Two things the first thing your marriage barometer will tell you is it'll tell you what your marriage condition is on a scale of 1 to 10 remember the average barometer shows for sometimes three right the first thing I'll do is it'll tell you the condition of your marriage on a 1 to 10 scale one as awful tennis heaven. The second thing the marriage barometer will tell you is precisely and concisely. The exact steps that you need to take to move your marriage condition up the scale that you don't have to go to the bookstore to get this gift she's sitting right next to you man. If you have the guts, here's your homework assignment for this afternoon. Today sit down with your marriage barometer and ask her to write your marriage and listen very carefully very sensitively to what she says it's not 10 out of 10 listen to how she will tell you explicitly and precisely how you can just one step at a time and prove that bottom line of mommy happy nobody happy, especially the Lord honor her and honor him by using the barometer. She is less homework assignment will take just a couple minutes to give each of you men a chance and opportunity to declare your willingness not that when you've done it, but your willingness to honor and value your willingness to nourish and cherish your wife. God's a specially designed gift. I call this the wow mile mile my covenant that some of you may not feel like doing this and I'm not asking you to feel like doing series agape love isn't a love that always feels like loving but it always loves because agape love is love in action and word is a decision of the will to love even when loving is tough and agape love will result in feelings. I mean, they stick feelings, but don't forget the command of first Peter chapter 3 verse seven. This is the Larimore version okay man, listen up, live with your wife and understanding way as with someone incredibly unique and special. She is a woman in right now is a matter of faith. Show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers, your ministry, your effectiveness in God's kingdom will not be so do this. I'm going to ask God's gift to me. Barb to come forward and join me on the stage and as she's coming up which I will be doing together.

Man is an act of faith and obedience. I'm going to ask you to join me in making a new declaration of love and commitment to your wife.

So those of you with your wife. Let me ask you if you would now turn to her and hold her hand in yours. Let's together honor our lives by pledging our commitment to them.

We please repeat to them after me. I now know you are a precious work of art you were designed to balance me. You are strong where I am weak and weak where I am strong. You are my perfectly created match. You are a masterpiece. You are called official.

You complete me your fish. I commit today in front of these witnesses to love you as long as I live I will love you as Christ loves his church. I will start today on a daily basis to honor you to nourish you and to cherish, till death do us part. Gentlemen, you may kiss your bride. Okay, enough of that you can finish that assignment later this evening, gentlemen. When we started this discussion an hour ago. I told her that my goal was to help you men, both current husbands and husbands to be to see the value of your wife and your marriage not from your viewpoint but from God's viewpoint. Do you see now how honoring and valuing her can balance your marriage and then if you will do this God will act. If you will honor your marriage he will spiritually balance you and your family are spiritually balance families.

He can balance churches and communities. And then if he starts with us and can balance our country morally and spiritually. But it starts with us to value them to teach our children and grandchildren. These eternal principles that he has taught us this is Focus on the Family we been listening to Dr. Walt Larimore is he addressed a group of physicians and their spouses at John perfectly summed up our mission here Focus on the Family and that is to help families thrive both in their marriage and parenting relationships and hopefully in Jesus Christ as the foundation and I hope today show has inspired you to treasure your marriage and give it the time and attention. It deserves, let me quickly recap what we said to wives last time. If you have a Christian husband.

Walt recommends giving him this CD but let them listen to it alone and let the Holy Spirit tell them how to act upon it, and we want to make that CD available to you for a donation of any amount, help us cover the cost. Maybe not just for years, but for someone who can afford it and if you're not married to Christian man. Walt says don't given the CD but instead pray for him every day. I like that advice to if that's the case for you visit our website for a free audio download of an inspirational broadcast with Patricia Ashley that will really encourage you regardless of how tough it might be in your relationship.

Patricia explains how her marriage went from dead to thriving and you'll find encouragement@focusonthefamily.com/radio and let me remind you if your marriage is on the ropes. We have hope for you Focus on the Family's hope restored is a four day intensive experience that is saving marriages every day and they use unique holistic counseling approach that combines the heart, the mind, and a couple's faith. Best of all hope restored has an almost 85% success rate in this measure is taken two years after their time and hope restored. Here's one example from a wife and she said this is a second marriage for both of us so we came to hope restored with the tremendous amount of hurt, pain and distrust. Not to mention the challenges of being a blended family are counselors were heaven sent gentle and sensitive to God's direction. My message to others.

Is this no marriage is too far gone for God. Never give up know what an encouragement that comment is it is John at blended families can be so challenging.

And that's just one example of how Focus on the Family's hope restored is saving marriages and families but we can't do this on our own. We need your support. Please consider making a donation today and join our marriage saving team will be a part of the good things that God is doing through this ministry every day when you call 800 the letter a in the word family 800-232-6459 or donate@focusonthefamily.com/radio and then be sure to get that CD of Walt Larimore's entire presentation. Thank you for listening and if you enjoyed today's program. Please tell a friend about us next time.

Be sure to tune in to hear helpful advice on dealing with children who are a bit too tech dependent will have Jonathan McKee with us. The relationship is so important is relationships element transcends when the house when you don't have any boundaries, so don't mess up bonding way too many balanced insightful helps for you next time. As we bring trusted advice to help your family thrive. Our program today was paid for by Focus on the Family and thanks to you for your generous support on behalf of focus, Pres. Jim Daly I'm Johnson