Bridal Devotional

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to give the devotional at the bridal shower of one of our church members. At first, I was a bit nervous and unsure. I was afraid I wouldn't have enough time to prepare and I didn't know what I would talk about since I had never given a devotional of any kind before. Of course, the power of the Lord's Word speaks for itself, but I wasn't so sure about the vessel that would be delivering it. After some direction from Nancy Peterman and Brad, I had a lot of fun preparing the following devotional.

Bridal Devotional

Ephesians 5:21-24

I. Read Passage

II. Christ First

· Read vs. 21-22

· Our relationships are all in connection to our relationship with Christ. He is what is most important. To love your husband, you must first and continually love and build your relationship with Christ. It is through that relationship that we learn how to love and treat our husbands. When I am not in constant communion with the Lord, it is impossible for me to be in proper communion and relationship with my husband. If we don’t put into practice our relationship with the one who loves us unconditionally, is always there for us and never lets us down, how can we possibly show our husbands the respect and submission they deserve and treat them the way Christ tells us to?

III. Foundation

· Vs. 21 “out of reverence for Christ”

· Our actions and love towards our husband is not based on or reliant on how they treat us first, but are a reflection of our relationship with Christ. Husbands will frustrate us and let us down at times, as we will them, but Christ never will. So, if our marriage is anchored on Him, it will never sink, no matter what storms hit us.

IV. Submit

· These versus mention the word “submit” often.

· Today, many people think of submission as weak. On the contrary, it is a beautiful and strong word. We get the honor of supporting our husbands and being their helper. Submission is kind of a taboo word in regards to our modern American roles. It does not equal doormat. Look at all these strong, beautiful, Godly women around you. They have grown strong through their submission to the Lord and their husbands. Through our submission we not only get strength, but we honor our husbands and push them up, giving them room to be the head you desire. This also helps to increase their self-esteem and feelings of being loved, without making them feel like they are in this alone or fighting against you. God didn’t create woman (Eve) so that man (Adam) would have someone to boss around, but for companionship. Just like in those cooking shows I like to watch, the sous-chef can make or break the head chef.

V. Good or Evil

· This all reminds me of that scene in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. The mom says, “The man may be the head, but the woman is the neck and she can turn the head anyway she wants.” This is so true. We do have a lot of influence and power. We could manipulate our submission to be deceptive, like they did in the movie to get what they wanted, or we can use it to glorify the Lord, lift our husbands up and help spur them on towards Christ. My high school swim coach once told me, “Behind every successful man is a strong woman.” This is another reason why our relationship with Christ needs to be first and continual. In Christ, we will want the best for our husbands and will reflect His love. Apart from Christ, we will begin to manipulate the head away from Christ. We saw this in the Garden of Eden between Adam and Eve. Sometimes I think women have a bigger role than men, because without that strong, Godly support at home, it would be a lot harder to keep their eyes on Christ.

VI. Give It Your All

· Vs. 24 “submit to their husbands in everything”

· Not just when he does things the way you say or like, but in everything. This can be hard, but we have to be careful not to emasculate our husbands (society has already emasculated their role). We need to lift our husbands up in prayer and allow them to be the man God created them to be. I’ve met several women who are believers but their husbands are not. My friend, Janet, in Korea had this situation in her marriage, yet she didn’t put her husband down or try to step over him. She focused on strengthening her own personal walk with the Lord and prayed for him. Whether our husbands are believers or not, this is the most important thing we can do for them to demonstrate our love.

Ø Recommended books: “Love Dare” and “The Power of a Praying Wife”

After giving the above devotional I ended with an object lesson, which was also my gift.

1. Cookbook
   Put in the right ingredients for your marriage. Make your home a godly home. Fill it with compassion, devotion, submission, joy, respect, and above all, love.



2. Strainer.
   
   Work at keeping the bad stuff out of your own personal life so that it doesn't affect your marriage. Don't let any bad thoughts and deeds slip in that could potentially harm your marriage. Keep in God's Word. Dedicate yourself to prayer.



3. Kitchen Timer (or egg timer).
   
   Make time for your spouse, even if you have to schedule it in on your calendar. Don't be ships passing in the night. You don't grow healthy relationships that way as husband and wife.



4. Rolling Pin.
   
   Keep the dough of your marriage and family life rolled out and smooth. When things come up that cause some lumps in the dough, take care of it right away. Don't let things fester.



5. Meat Baster.
   
   Add that extra juice in to keep your marriage moist. Don't let your marriage dry out. Make a habit of telling your husband you love him. Kiss him hello and goodbye. Write him notes. Do anything you can to keep that relationship fresh with your spouse.



6. Meat Mallet.
   
   It takes work to keep your marriage tender. Marriage is giving 100% from both the wife and the husband. Be determined to work at your marriage and relationship with your husband everyday by the words you say, the deeds you do, and by the thoughts you think. Just keep pounding away to give your marriage your best.
7. Spice Jar

Write nice and unexpected things you can do for your spouse on slips of paper and put them in the jar. Grab a slip of paper every now and then and do what it says to help keep your marriage spicy!

The pug journal is what I write all of my "church" ideas in, so that's what I wrote this devotional in. The pages above the journal and Bible are to show you what I scribbled my first draft on. Like I said, I was worried I wouldn't have enough time to prepare it due to 3 kids, one of which I have to hold a lot, thus occupying my hands. So, I ended up writing most of it during church while the kids were in Sunday school and Aria was asleep in her car seat....sorry Brad. Really, it's a compliment, because Brad's teaching inspired me.

Peek-a-boo!

I carried all my devotional props in this empty diaper box. When I returned home from the shower, Cadence and Finn immediately hopped in. No, really, that looks comfy.