Key to Life

This is a continuation of the last KTL article I presented.

"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. {23} For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. {24} Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. {25} Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her," Ephesians 5:22-25

We are discussing the roll of the husband and father, that of headship.

The next concept in the Christian family is that the father is the family priest. This in no way takes away from the Biblical concept that every believer is a priest of God, If we read Job 1:5 we find a priesthood that Job exercised in and for his own family, "So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did regularly."

Job interceded with God for each member of his family. He went through the required rituals in behalf of his family, and he prayed for his family. It is evident that Job had raised his family in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, but lets read Ephesians 6:4, Paul’s instructions to the fathers, "And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord."

This is a grave responsibility because it means, in essence to take your family to Sunday School and Church, to hold regular family devotions, and to teach Biblical concepts, morals and understanding to our family. Today many women attend services alone. Many mothers take their children to church while the father stays home to watch TV. Children are sent to Sunday School or allowed to go their own way without parental guidance in spiritual matters.

I remember too many fathers saying that they were forced to go to church and Sunday School and no one should be forced to do something he/she doesn’t want to do. Yet, we force our kids to bathe, to go to school, which is far more detrimental to them than Sunday School, and to eat healthful meals. Need I go on?

The father is charged with the responsibility of bringing his family up in the training and instruction of Christian ideals and values. Again, husbands and fathers will be called to account for their function as the family priest.

The last concept in headship is love. We have read Ephesians 5:25 several times, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her." This is agape love, the love that says, I will do the very best for the one that I love regardless of the cost to myself.

With this in mind, how do I conduct my responsibilities as head of the family? Only in doing what is the very best for the others regardless of the cost to myself, my strength, my intellect, my health, my comfort, my feelings, my convenience, my self, and even my life are all secondary to the needs of those I love.

I want to close this quick discussion on the husband’s responsibilities of leadership, servanthood, sacrifice, priesthood, and love, the spiritual roll of the husband and father with this statement by, Reggie White, defensive end for the Green Bay Packers, "Being like Jesus is not being a wimp. Loving your wife and children is not being a chump. That's real manhood."

Can you possibly imagine if a man’s energies were directed in this way what life would be like for the ones he loves? Can you possibly imagine a husband and father whose goal in life is your well being, everything in his life directed to your very best interest?