In his 6 volume historical masterpiece “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”, Edward Gibbon wrote in 1776 five major causes of the fall of the Great Roman Empire.
5. Decay of religion.
4. Unsustainable buildup of armaments.
3. Hunger for pleasure.
2. Increased taxation.
Interestingly enough, the top in his list was the “breakdown of the family.”
You would think that it would be a problem in the leadership or an invasion by another empire.
1. Breakdown of the family…
Hmmmm…. interesting.
As the familiar saying goes, “Everything rises and falls in leadership.”
Husbands have been given the task to lead the family.
The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing… (Eph. 5:23, Msg)
The Bible tells us in Eph. 5 how we are to lead…
1. Lead lovingly.
Husbands, love your wives … (Eph. 5:25)
We are called to lead not in an authoritative or domineering manner, but lovingly.
One of the best ways to lead the family is to love your wife the way Jesus loved the church.
You want to see your kids grow up secure?
One of the best ways the Bible tells us is to love your wife unconditionally.
2. Lead sacrificially.
Sacrifice is giving up something you really really want.
… just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her …. (Eph. 5:25b)
Too many marriages are filled with “I”, “me” and “myself.”
If you’re not ready to give up ‘self’, re-think marriage. It just might not work.
3. Lead spiritually.
…to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word… (Eph. 5:26)
The word ‘husband’ means ‘to cultivate’, ‘to till’, ‘to take care of.’ In other words, the husband is a gardener.
If a garden is dry and dying, we go to the gardener and ask what’s the matter.
In a marriage and in a family, when things are dry and dying, the final accountability that God has ordained is with the husband. He is the leader. He has headship, therefore with it comes responsibility.
Seems impossible? You bet!
But God doesn’t tell us to do something without giving us both the grace and the ability to fulfill what we’ve been called to do.
In Christ, we can do all things … and He gives us the strength.
Have a great week ahead!
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