Romans 7:2-3, Loving My Husband

Romans 7:2-3

Ephesians 5:20-24

I want my life to be fully submitted to Christ. But if I'm going to love Him with all that is in me, that means I also have to love His people, especially my husband. God has chosen to make our relationships with one another, particularly the relationship between a husband and wife, directly connected to our relationship with Him. Somehow when I submit my preferences and desires to my husband's out of love for him, I am also submitting myself to the Lord and affirming His authority over me. My relationship as my husband's wife only continues as long as we're both alive, unlike my relationship with Christ Jesus which continues throughout eternity. Yet loving him by choosing his desires when I'd rather choose differently is a way for me to also love and build up my relationship with the Lord. I would get frustrated if I only saw the command to "submit to one another" within the marriage relationship without the connection to my relationship with Christ. I would want to manipulate the example of marriage as lasting only until one of the spouse's death as an excuse to degrade the status of marriage as less important in my life than it truly is. But when I connect the two I see that each time I love my husband I am loving Christ and each time I build up our marriage I am building the Kingdom of God. Our marriage is not the final goal; it is a powerful tool that increases my relationship with Christ. I am for Him and so my marriage is transformed beyond human law and human love to an opportunity to express my love and commitment to Christ through daily choices to love my husband.