”Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great, but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.“ Ephesians 5:25-33 LSB https://bible.com/bible/3345/eph.5.25-33.LSB
Brothers, it’s the end of February and I’m praying for our marriages. We learn from Valentinus that the mission of marriage is greater than the Roman Empire. I pray we would be encouraged in the mission, that we would love our wive’s as Christ loved the church, that we would be students of the Scripture, and that we would not fall for the trap of Balaam (Number 22-23, Rev 2:14,16). I pray our marriages would be a reflection of the Gospel.
Marriage is greater than the Roman Empire (Valentinus 269 A.D). Creation starts with a marriage. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number” (Adam and Eve, Genesis 1:28) and ends with a marriage. ”Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”“ (Revelation 19:7 LSB).
Men Be Encouraged in the Mission
Your marriage is a reflection of the Gospel! (Eph 5:22-6:18). Love your wife as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her (5.25, 5:33a) and let each one of you love his wife as himself. Christ loved 100% in obedience to the Father!
You must be a student of the Scriptures! Lead your wife and children in the instruction of the Scriptures. Protect your families from the lies and falsehoods of the world. To lead in the instruction of the Scriptures and protect your families from worldly ideas and falsehoods, you must be a student of the Scriptures!
Men, don’t fall for the traps! Keep sexual purity with your wife. The same trap of Balaam to curse God’s people in Numbers 22-23 is set today. Temptation to sexual immorality destroys God’s people. To the church at Pergamum – ”But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality… Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.“ Revelation 2:14, 16
“A husband’s love for his wife should be efficacious… Notice that when Christ efficaciously loved His bride, His love transformed her. His love was also incarnational: Christ’s love for the Church was embodied in His willingness to die for her… as Paul says, “He that loveth his wife loveth himself” (Eph. 5:28)… when a husband really loves his wife, he will discover that as he gives these blessings to his wife, his wife consistently gives a bigger return. He shovels blessings on her, and then discovers that she has a much bigger shovel. He who loves his wife loves himself. She is always able to return more in blessing to him than he has given to her. Godly wives are multipliers. Husbands who love their wives in an incarnational way will consequently have the authority to speak at the dinner table, and they will find that people want to listen. If a husband is not doing this, everyone around him will check out, right after they roll their eyes. If you are not loving your wife efficaciously, any instruction or teaching you offer your family is going to bounce off their foreheads. And if you want to transform your family, then you must be willing to die—and you cannot do this on your own. You have to look to the Christ who died, in order to imitate Him, daily taking up your cross and following Him.” The Covenant Household by Douglas Wilson https://a.co/3Sz5qNn
Household Prayer: Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God https://ministry.family.blog/2024/02/15/household-prayer-resistance-to-tyrants-is-obedience-to-god/
The cosmic battle started early in creation and has continued since (Gen. 3:15). So I pray we understand the profound nature and purpose of our marriages and the armor needed to protect them (Eph. 5-6). https://ministry.family.blog/2024/02/03/household-prayer-marriage-and-the-cosmic-battle/
More about Saint Valentine: https://ministry.family.blog/2023/02/11/saint-valentine/
THE GOOD NEWS
There is a God that created the heavens and the earth. We humans are created in His image.
We are sinners, we have rebelled against Him, our Creator. Our rebellion has brought “all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice… envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness” to the world. Romans 1:29-31 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.1.29-31.ESV
Therefore we justly deserve our due punishment of death and damnation, “as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’” Romans 3:10-12 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.3.10-12.ESV
But good news! God is merciful and loving. Jesus is God the only begotten Son and He took our punishment upon Himself in our place. Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death and securing the hope of our salvation.
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.15.3-8.ESV
““Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”” Acts 2:36-38 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/act.2.36-38.ESV
We need only repent and believe it. Repent: turn away from our sins, proclaim Jesus is lord and savior, and we will be forgiven our sins and have life ever after! “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”” Romans 10:9-11 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.10.9-11.ESV
There is hope. Believe in Jesus! ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.3.16.ESV
It doesn’t matter who you’ve been or what you’ve done, God stands with arms wide open, ready to forgive you. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1jn.1.9.ESV
Dobra Family Ministry 
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