This 4-day plan dives into God’s design and purpose for husbands, exploring the biblical mission to love, serve, and lead their wives. Through Scriptures like Ephesians 5 and Genesis 1, husbands will discover their God-given role to protect, nurture, and encourage their wives in faith. Learn practical ways to prioritize your marriage, grow in spiritual leadership, and overcome challenges as you seek to fulfill this high calling. Start today and embrace the mission God has for you as a husband!
Visionary Family Ministries
Day 1
Scriptures: Genesis 1:27, Galatians 3:28
God created men and women with equal value, worth, and dignity. This is taught throughout the Scriptures, beginning with Genesis 1:27. In the beginning of this verse, when it says, “God created man,” the word man means mankind or humankind. The passage goes on to say that God made two kinds of “man”: the male “man” and the female “man.” Both men and women are made in the image of God and stand on equal footing before Him. In Galatians 3:28, Paul reiterates that men and women are of equal value.
While the Bible teaches that men and women have equal value and importance, it also teaches that God created us differently because He has different purposes that He calls us to fulfill. Obviously, God did not create men to give birth to children. That is a role reserved for women. God did create men to protect and defend their children and families.
Consider this situation. You are sleeping soundly in bed with your spouse. You jolt awake to the sound of crashing glass and someone moving through the house…toward the baby’s bedroom. Who gets up out of bed and goes out to stop the bad guy? Should it be the woman or the man? The vast majority of men would say, “That’s my job!” If you agree it is generally the man’s role to protect the family in the face of danger, then you believe there are role distinctions for men and women. The question then is not whether there are different roles, but what are the different roles God calls us to fulfill. Thankfully, because of the Bible, we are not left in the dark to figure these things out for ourselves. Let us continue to look at specific Scriptures to see what God has to say about our mission as husbands.
Day 2
Scriptures: Ephesians 5:26-27, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
In Ephesians, we find a power-packed sentence in which we find three core callings from God. Men, what is the first thing God calls a husband to do for his wife? Love her. “Husbands, love your wives.” Many in our culture accuse Christians of teaching that men are to dominate their wives and that their wives are to be doormats. However, here in God’s Word, we have a command from God for a husband to love his wife!
We need to dig deeper into what this means. God gives us a definition of love that is very different from the world’s understanding of love. God defines love for us in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7. Go back and read these verses again and ask God to help you love your wife and family in this way.
- How mature is your love for your wife? Use 1 Corinthians 13 as your measure.
- What definition from 1 Corinthians 13 is most present in your love for your wife? What definition needs the most attention?
Day 3
Scripture: Ephesians 5:25-27
We are going to continue to look at the qualities outlined of a godly husband. According to Ephesians 5, Godly men give up their lives for their wives, just as Christ gave up His life for the church. Remember the story about the intruder walking through the house? No godly man is going to give the bat to his wife and jump under the bed! One of the ways men show love is by serving their wives, even in the threat of danger.
Men, if such a situation were to arise in your house, you would bravely protect your family. You would lay down your life for your wife. But will you lay down your hobbies this weekend to prioritize your time with her and get the needed projects done around the house? Will you lay down your smartphone or the remote for the evening to give her your undivided attention? Will you say no to the extra project or extra hours at work in order to focus on your more important calling (your marriage)? When faced with a choice that forces you to disappoint a friend or your wife, which one do you choose?
Consider the questions below as you seek to love and serve your wife.
- How mature is your service to your wife?
- Are there some specific areas where God would have you increase your service to her?
Day 4
Scriptures: Ephesians 5:25-26, Joshua 24:15
The first command to husbands is to love. The second command is to serve. Now we come to the point of it all, the central mission of a husband.
Why does God want you to love your wife? Why does He want you to serve her? The purpose is to make her holy. Men, have you ever wondered why God chose to bring your wife into your life? Here is your answer. God gave you your wife so you would do all in your power to encourage faith in her heart and to lead her toward becoming the woman that God created her to be. When we put these three commands together we get LOVE—SERVE—LEAD.
Do not miss the order! God’s Word is precise, and we need to pay attention to it. Men, what happens if you try to lead a woman without first loving her and serving her? The very thought of it sends shivers up the spine. If a man tries to lead a woman without the foundation of love and service, her heart will quickly fill with bitterness and resentment. God did not create women to be led by men who do not love them.
Men, if you seek to commit yourself to love your wife, to serve her, and to become the spiritual leader in your marriage, you should prepare yourself for major spiritual attack. Satan will throw everything at you to prevent you from being the man God calls you to be, and his attack on you will be strategic. Satan does not want you to love your wife, and He will try and prevent it. He does not want you to serve her, and he will do all he can to fill your heart with selfishness. However his number one attack will be to fill you with feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, and failure.
Men, consider the following three question
- Do you believe that praying and reading the Bible with your wife is important?
- Do you believe that God wants you to pray and read the Bible with your wife?
- Is praying with your wife easy or hard to do? (In other words, is it easy or hard to hold your wife’s hand, and say a few words to God?)
Most guys are going to answer yes, yes, and easy. Now for the fourth question:
- Do you struggle to pray faithfully and consistently with your wife?
Most of you may reply with another yes. This makes no sense! We believe that praying with our wives is important. We believe God wants us to do it, and we know it is physically easy to do. Despite all that, men frequently struggle to pray faithfully with their wives.
Why is Satan so desperate to prevent you from taking any role of spiritual leadership in our marriage? Because once that happens, your family begins to function with transformational spiritual power! Your marriage and your home become a threat to Satan and a dynamic ministry tool in the hands of God. Praying together will not be an instant fix for your marriage, but as you grow together in prayer you will increasingly experience Christ as the anchor for your souls.
- How mature is your spiritual leadership for your wife? What would be your next step to increase your time in prayer and Scripture reading together?