Lesson for the Lord’s Day
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it. Ephesians 5:25
Those of us who have taken the Dale Carnegie Course will recognize one of the principles that Dale Carnegie teaches concerning how men are to treat their wives: Pay little attentions! In his book How to Win Friends and Influence People, Carnegie explains that men need to find small ways to express their affection for their wives, to fulfill the wives’ need to be daily reminded of their husbands’ love. Because a man’s primary desire is to have respect, he often fails to grasp that the woman’s primary desire is to be loved. Paying little attentions, as Carnegie explains, means doing little things, such as a bouquet of flowers, a special dessert, or breakfast in bed, to frequently remind her of his deep affection. And that is important, because, as our text declares, such an approach is an object lesson in how the Lord Jesus has expressed His love to us.
How do we know that the Lord Jesus loves us? Our text points out one of the great proofs of His love: His giving Himself for us. Great texts of scripture leap to mind, including John 3:16, which express the great love of both the Father and the Son in the giving of the Son. The apostle Paul spoke of that love in Ephesians 2:20 – I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. These verses speak of that love being expressed and proved in the past, providing the means of our redemption. The work of the cross is the proof of the love that was required for us to be forgiven of our sins. And as wonderful as that is, it is only part of what the love of the Lord Jesus does for us.
The rescuing of our souls from hell and the punishment we deserve is important, but so is the daily rescuing of our spirits from the attacks of our spiritual enemies. Every day, we encounter the fiery darts of the devil, the temptations of the world, and the lusts of the flesh, thast seek to destroy our joy and our testimony. But the Lord Jesus Who loved us to save our souls also loves us to save our spirits. Every day, He demonstrates that love in interceding for us at the Throne. Every day, He feeds our souls from His Word and refreshes us with His promises and His attention to our prayers. He is indeed the Friend Who sticketh closer than a brother.
Just as the love of the Lord Jesus saved us and keeps us, so His love is also the hope and rejoicing for our great future. He promised to go to His Father’s house and prepare a mansion for us, and also to come again and receive us unto Himself (John 14). When He ascended to Heaven after His resurrection, the angels reminded His disciples that He was going to return for them. And at that time, our salvation will be complete, soul, spirit, and body. All because of the love of the Lord Jesus for us.
Did He love us? Does He love us? Will He love us? Let us never doubt it. -Jim MacIntosh