PROGRAM SUCCESS – AUGUST 2009
Good Father...
Bad Husband
By Pastor Leon R. Bing
North Jacksonville Family Worship Center
I have discovered a frightening revelation. It is very
possible that there are good fathers who are bad
husbands than. I make this statement due to the large
number of unhappy wives. Even when you think you
are doing the best that you can as fathers with all that
you have to deal with in other areas of your lives, it may
still not be good enough when it comes to being a good
husband.
Why are so many wives unhappy? Why don’t wives
feel that they are loved and respected? Why when
husbands try to be good fathers, they end up being bad
husbands? The answer is in God’s Word.
A Husband’s Position
Ephesians 5:23, 24
23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the
head of his body, the church; he gave his life to be her
Savior.
24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives must
submit to your husbands in everything.
A husband’s position is at the head of the family, the
head of his wife, according to God’s word. It is the
same position as Christ holds with the church. It is a
foolish church fellowship that thinks that it has risen
above the authority of Christ, not only foolish, but
dangerous.
It would seem that the same thinking or principle would
apply in marriage. But what has changed the thinking in
marriage is one key element that scripture tells us in
verse 23. It says that Christ gave his life for the church.
In the American home, it is not just the physical life that
is expected to be given, (if it came to that), but it is the
putting of everything else aside so that the wife is in the
first position in the man’s life after God.
PAGE 23
There are many tasks that
many husbands perform in
life, through their jobs, as
fathers, and running various
aspects of the family, such
as maintenance, finances,
or general problem solvers.
I realize that in many
homes the wives may take
on one or more of these
tasks for the family. But
regardless of that fact the
husband is still the head of the wife.
Verse 24 says “As the church submits to Christ, so you
wives must submit to your husbands in everything”.
Well many wives disagree with this verse because they
have Bad husbands. There are things that the husband is
or is not doing in his home that has taken away the
desire for his wife to agree with and obey this part of
God’s word. A thing such as communication with his
wife is one example, spending quality time with her is
another. These can make the best of fathers, bad
husbands. If husbands are not putting forth the effort to
talk with their wives, they are just letting precious time
past them by when it comes to their marriage. Why go
through months even years with a bad marriage when
all you have to do is communicate and show your wife
her due attention?
A Special Kind of Love
25 And you husbands must love your wives with the
same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life
for her
26 to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and
God’s word.
27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious
church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish.
Instead, she will be holy and without fault.
This special love that Christ had for was that he put
everything above himself. He constantly glorified his
father and gave encouragement to man. He never once
took credit for anything, or made himself the center of
attention.
See GOOD FATHER page 24