The Wife's Responsibility in Marriage Part 3

The Wife’s Responsibility in Marriage Part 3

Session 6 | Episode 3

The wife must respect her husband

And the wife must respect her husband. Ephesians 5:33b

That same verse in the Amplified Bible says,

"…and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband – that she notices him, regards him, honours him, prefers him, venerates and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him and loves and admires him exceedingly."

Ephesians 5:33b (Amplified)

Wow, that’s really amplified! We receive and respect our husbands, not because of their performance, but because God has given them to us as a gift and as such, they are people of worth.

For many years our children attended art classes that included a section on pottery. The first day they came home, they excitingly giving me the items they had made in class. When I looked at their creations, it was difficult to know what they were but I loved their pottery because of the love they expressed in giving them to me. Even now, 20 years later, I keep our son’s pottery on my desk in a place of honour to remind me of his love. Though imperfect, our husbands are a gift from a loving God and therefore, they deserve our honour and respect.

After all as women we want to be loved unconditionally, so our respect for our husbands needs to be just as unconditional.

We need to recognise and respect our husbands because they carry a huge responsibility in leading the family and they will answer to God for the way they lead.

“The one being carried doesn’t appreciate the distance of the road.” (Anonymous quote on the wall in Windhoek airport)

How does submission relate to respect? Next episode, we will explore the complementary attitude of submission.

Presented by

Patty Borgert

Patty has a degree in Family Studies from New Mexico State University in the US. She has lived in Africa for 45 years and has worked in Eswatini, Zimbabwe and South Africa. She and her husband, Ken, have been married for thirty-five years and have two children. They have been working with FamilyLife, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, for thirty-four years.