For Married Men Only
by Tony Evans
– We love by choice no by feeling.
– You are to set aside your wants and desires for your wife. Too many marriages are hurt because there is no sacrifice involved.
– There is such a thing as winning the momentary battle but losing the marital war.
– Until you are willing and ready to die to yourself, don’t expect any change in your wife.
– A husband is to function as his wife’s pastor.
– When you married your wife, you also married her history, everything she has been to that point.
– What Jesus does for His bride, the church, the husband is to do for his bride, his wife.
– Don’t go around saying that you are the head of the house unless you are willing to say you are the pastor of the house as well, and are fulfilling that role.
– Don’t expect your congregation at home to get in line unless you are willing to fill your place behind the pulpit at home.
– A shepherd leads the sheep, he doesn’t drive them. That means he must be out front and know the way, growing himself, so that he can help the others along the way.
– A husband who is stagnant spiritually will have a hard time leading his wife.
– If a wife is miserable all the time, maybe she has a miserable husband. A wife is the husband’s mirror.
– A husband is to meet his wife’s needs. Remember that that is what Christ does for His bride.
– Most men talk a better game when they are dating then they play when they get married.
– Jesus picked up the towel and washed the disciple’s feet. He was teaching us and giving us an example. The husband is to serve his wife.
– A servant serves whether he feels like it or not.
– If you are to love your wife as you love your own body, here’s a simple rule: pamper and take care of her at least as much as you pamper and take care of yourself – now double that and you will be doing well.
– A husband is to study his wife because women are not easy to figure out, almost like a tourist going to a foreign country.
– If a waiter greets you happily at a restaurant but then disappears when you are ready to order a drink or food, you will probably not give the waiter a very big tip. The waiter’s lack of attention will frustrate you. Yet many times a husband wants a tip when he gets into bed at night, and wonders why the wife is not interested.
– You are joined together in marriage. That means that nothing is going to separate you, that you are going to leave other things off to the side and not let anything creep in the middle. Kick the thought of divorce out of your mind and vocabulary.
– We are to nourish our wives. To nourish your body, you take care of it by eating daily, not once a month. And to nourish our wives, we must daily care for them, not just every once in a while.
– Here are some ways you can nourish your wife:
1. Words of affirmation. You might not think that you have the right words to say and do not know how to affirm her, but you did a pretty good job while dating her to get her to marry you.
2. Quality time. It takes time to exercise and take care of your body, and so it will take time to take care for your wife.
3. Gifts. It’s not the price of the gift, but the fact that you took time and thought about her to get a gift.
4. Acts of service. We’ve already mentioned that it takes time to take care of our wives, so do some things that will help. Pick up something or put it back up or help clean up.
5. Physical touch. This is non-sexual. Just showing that you are there for her and love her.