Dearly Beloved, WIVES AS WEAKER PARTNERS “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” (1 Peter 3:7, NIV). As we were having our weekly Bible study recently in my local church on a theme based on 1 Peter 3:1-7, the phrase “as the weaker partner” referring to wives had a new meaning to me: weaker but precious, thereby giving honor to them by giving them extra love and care. My mind quickly went to instruments that are delicate and the care we usually give to them. We care for these delicate things like mobile telephones, laptops, and other fragile instruments that are sophisticated and expensive. We seldom look down on them because of their small size, but rather, we value them for their functions to us. Likewise, wives are “weaker,” delicate and fragile partners in marriage, but very valuable when husbands take good care of them by being considerate with them with respect and as co-heirs with the husbands. Looking down on the wives as nobody will mar the God-ordained marital relationship that ought to be cordial and blissful. No wonder, many marriages have collapsed today while more are at the verge of separation and divorce. How do you take your wife? Are you looking at her as somebody that is no match for you, and therefore treating her as such? Are you looking down on her because of her nature or even her status? Do you as husband really honor your wife for who she is – a weaker partner? You have to honor her and care for her if you do not want anything to hinder your prayers. Though the theme of this message is for the husbands, I have to balance it by saying one or more things about the wives. Apostle Peter directed the larger part of his instructions in 1 Peter 3:1-7 to the wives. Do you as a wife submit to your husband and obey him as the head of the family and as unto the Lord? (See also Ephesians 5:22-23, 33; Colossians 3:18.) Are you not competing with him? Women are created to complement men, not to compete with them. It is evident that most marriages nowadays end up in divorce and separation (and even where the husband and wife are still living together, most of them are not in good terms with each other) because either of the couple fails to yield to these biblical injunctions. However, whatever the case may be, efforts should be made on the parts of both husbands and wives to make their marriage a life-long affair. As a man, I challenge the husbands to make more efforts in honoring their wives as weaker partners to stabilize their homes. In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). Prayer Requests: 1. Pray that you as a husband will be able to honor your wife as a weaker partner and care for her for who she is so that nothing will hinder your prayers. 2. Pray that wives also will always submit to their husbands and obey them. 3. Pray that God will restore all broken homes and bring all the estranged partners back to each other. NB Send your reactions directly to <spiritualdigest@...>. God bless you! _________________________________________________ FindLaw - Free Case Law, Jobs, Library, Community http://www.FindLaw.com Get your FREE @JUSTICE.COM email! http://mail.Justice.com