Love: Foundation for a Healthy Family Relationship (Part 2) By Pastor Faith Oyedepo
Topic — Love: Foundation for a Healthy Family Relationship (Part 2) Dear Reader, You are most welcome to another interesting edition of these series of teachings. Last week, I started a teaching on the topic: Love: Foundation for a Healthy Family Relationship. I also defined some terms and I explained that the ultimate way to express your love, especially in marriage, is to practice love according to 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. This week, I shall be showing you how the man should demonstrate love to experience a healthy family relationship. God is the foundation of the family. Genesis 2:18 says: And the LORD God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. He decides each person’s family and has a heritage of peace for every home. God wants to give His people peace always and by all means Now the Lord of peace himself gives you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all (2 Thessalonians 3: 16). The man has diverse roles to play in the family, but for in this edition, I will examine just three of his major roles. 1. A HUSBAND A man is first a husband to his wife, and the Bible says: Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (Ephesians 5:25) It is the responsibility of the man to known that he has a ministry to his wife by meeting her needs intimately, emotionally and psychologically. The verses in Ephesians 5 teaches that the husband is to cherish his wife, treat her with tenderness and affection. As it is written: The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife (1 Corinthians 7:3) NIV Love; however, is to be fed if it must grow. You feed your love for your spouse through a warm demonstrative love relationship. The husband has the responsibility to love his wife in words, actions and expressions. The word of God admonishes clearly in this regard: Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered (1 Peter 3:7). 2. A FATHER The word father means source and sustainer that is the man must be the provider and protector of the home. No wonder the Bible says: But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel (1 Timothy 5:8). The all mark of a father is Responsibility. Fatherhood is not just about reproduction of babies but responsibility. The father has the core duties to earning a living to support his family. The dimension of the father in the home is as a financial provider; having to cater for the family’s food, shelter, education, etc. However, he does not only provide financially, but provides comfort, mentorship, guardians and protection for his family.Also Read: Handling Family Challenges (Part 1) By Pastor Faith Oyedepo
3. THE SPIRITUAL HEAD The man is the spiritual head of the home, who should build capacity in the spirit to take charge of the spiritual atmosphere in the home against wicked force. The man is also responsible for consistent family prayers altar, Bible studies, to teach the children about God and His ways. He should live a spiritual exemplary lifestyle so that every member of the family can follow in his stead. Every godly man should see to the spiritual development of his family by the life he lives and the direction in which he leads. He is to enforce discipline and teach his children to have the fear of God. This discipline should however be in love. Many times, discipline is administered without love. The Bible says in Ephesians 6:4, And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Again Colossians 3:21 says: Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. The man is the principal figure in the family unit. God reckons with his position as head of the home and holds him responsible for any mishap that occurs in it. That is why as a man, you need the grace of God to function in all three capacities that is required of you. This grace can only come from God, the giver of all good gifts, including a peaceful home. True love can’t be expressed without knowing God intimately and you cannot function fully in your capacity as husband, father and spiritual head without a genuine relationship with God. Loving God first is the way to love, but you can’t claim to love God without accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savoir, and becoming his child. Jesus is the expression of God’s love to humanity. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). You can be His child by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. If you have not asked Jesus to come into your life or may have neglected your initial love for Him, then you should say this prayer in faith: Dear Lord, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Make me a child of God today, teach me to love even as you loved us. Thank You for delivering me from sin and satan to serve the living God and thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom. Congratulations! If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, you are now born again and a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21). With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace in Jesus’ Name! Call or write to share your testimonies with me through contact@faithoyedepo.org, 07026385437 OR 08141320204. For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Building a Successful Home, Making Marriage Work both authored by me, and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored) with Dr. David O. Oyedepo. “Please click HERE to read other inspiring articles by Pastor Faith Oyedepo” Pastor Faith Oyedepo is the wife of Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide a.k.a. Winners’ Chapel, and Senior Pastor of Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, Nigeria.
