A Husband Loves His Wife
The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:7 that the wife is the “weaker” vessel, not the “weak” vessel. If it had said the wife is the weak vessel, it would have meant the man would be the strong vessel. What it really means is that the man is weak, yet the wife is weaker.
“The word is not weaker in the sense of less than but the work weaker there, has to do with the way you handle highly valued material… you don’t treat fine china like paper plates because they break easier. The reason you handle fine china plates carefully is because of how much you value them. A husband should value his wife like fine china.”
Dr. Tony Evans
Feeling loved, not being loved
Husbands have difficulty understanding the difference between feeling loved and being loved. We know in our hearts that we love our wives. If we didn’t we wouldn’t be with them. We believe that the fact we are with them is a sign that we love them. When we got married, we told them we love them and if we had changed our minds, we would have let them know. The woman does not know she is loved unless she feels she is loved. And her feeling of being loved can fluctuate literally on a 24-hour basis.
This physical touch is a non-sexual public display of your love for your wife. It can be as simple as holding her hand or opening a door for her in public. My wife and I have long referred to that as “NSR” affection — no sex required. Although non-sexual physical affection toward our wives has become less culturally normal, it is still very important to consider how to honor and love then when outside the bedroom. This is important not only to build your marriage but to build your children’s view of how marriage should be and how they should show affection publicly for their spouses.
Complimenting, not analyzing
Every wife wants to feel beautiful and loves to look good, especially for their husband. The hard part for men is to give them compliments when they do. Complimenting your wife is not just about saying good. Love your wife by being generous with your vocabulary and complimenting her in a more detailed and expressive way. On of her most critical emotional needs is to feel that she is loved.
The apostle Paul tells us that Jesus “washes the church with the Word” (Ephesians 5:26). We are to do the same for our wives. A wife will only bloom in the garden her husband waters for her. You need to raise your wife’s value in your own eyes. Don’t wait for her to change her appearance or get a new outfit before you compliment her. Compliment things about her that have nothing to do with. her outward appearance.. The Bible tells husbands not to react to how their wife treats them, but to love them how Christ loves them. For a man to love his wife unconditionally is to “love her as Christ loves the church. He laid his life down for her.”
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.”
Ephesians 5:25-28 NIV
Loving your wife requires putting her needs and interests first
Many men have not seen this type of love a husband has for his wife. Whether it was not modeled or taught through their childhood, or if they’ve allowed their life to slip away from obedience to God’s word, Christian husbands still have the responsibility to love their wives as God teaches in Ephesians 5.