Husbands, Respect Your Wife

1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
 
A Christian husband has a great responsibility to care for his wife. In the same way is Peter’s transition from his instructions to wives. Peter commands the unity and sanctity of the marriage covenant through the obedience, respect and submission of one to another.
   He instructs husbands to be considerate as you live with your wives. We can consider many ways to be considerate of another. But there is special regard a husband must give to his wife. He is to consider her as God’s gift to  him. In the first marriage, God brought Eve to the man. Genesis 2:22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. She was God’s gift to Adam. When you think of your wife as God’s gift to you, you will be thoughtful to attend to her heart. You will let her know you love her and are willing to stand beside her against any threats. You will not ridicule her or demean her, even in jest, because all words that do not build up will tear down. The bond between a husband and wife will be strengthened with a husband’s considerate words and actions.
    Husbands are to treat wives with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life. Peter uses “respect” a third time in this letter. And if we go back to 1 Thessalonians, we will see the apostle Paul’s use of the word to strengthen the church. Respect is a trait that certainly bears repeating. To respect is to love, honor and esteem. You could say those three are three are a cord of three strands is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12) Respect is essential to bind Christian hearts into the unity of Christ. God wants the husband’s heart bound to the wife’s. The expression of respect with words and actions is one of God’s strong tools to unite a marriage into the one-flesh union he designed.
   Some women may not like being considered the weaker partner. But this term was designed to protect women. They are generally weaker physically. Women are subject to abuse. Peter told the husband to respect a wife’s physical abilities and limitations, so the husband would protect her.
   A Christian husband must also remember his wife is a co-heir of God’s gracious gift of life. What a joyous truth to know that God has called a husband and wife into his Kingdom. Together they are united with God forever. When a husband understands God’s deep love and grace for his wife, he should respond with a deeper love for his wife because Jesus died for her salvation.
   If a husband rejects these commands, God may reject his prayers. It’s true none of us are perfect, and we need to pray to seek God’s forgiveness and will. But a husband who willfully mistreats his wife will not have an effective relationship with God.
   Husbands, you will honor God when you respect your wife as God’s gift to you.