The Love and Respect Connection

  • Wives are to submit to their husbands, and husbands are to be the head of the family (Ephesians 5:22-23).
    • Describe the roles and submission and headship.
    • Does submission mean inferiority, or headship mean superiority? Explain.
  • Husbands and wives need to go back to the beginning (Ephesians 5:30-32).
    • What does it mean to leave and cleave?
    • Why are leaving and cleaving so important?
  • Husbands should love their wives, and wives should respect their husbands (Ephesians 5:33).

Ways to Show Love and Respect

  • Husbands show their wives love by closeness.
    • She wants you to be close to her (Genesis 2:24).
    • Read Deuteronomy 24:5. What was the purpose of the “honeymoon?” What advantages can you see in taking a whole year?
    • What are some ways a husband can show closeness to his wife?
  • Wives show their husbands respect by appreciating his desire for conquest.
    • Appreciate his desire to work and achieve (Genesis 2:15; 3:17-19). Man was created to work, it is his God-given responsibility. Most men take great pride in their work; they see it as an outgrowth of who and what they are.
    • What are some ways a wife can show respect for her husband’s desire to conquer?
  • Husbands show their wives love by openness.
    • She wants you to open up to her. In all the marriage counseling of couples I have done through the years, I have never had a husband say of his wife, “I can’t get her to open up and talk to me.” Yet, I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had wives say that of their husbands! Most women thrive on communication.
    • God opened up and revealed His mind to mankind (1 Corinthians 2:11-12). Husbands need to open up and reveal their minds to their wives.
    • Your wife wants to know what makes you “tick.” She wants to know how you “feel” about things. She wants to hear your dreams, goals, and plans for the future. She wants to hear what you think about her, about the kids, about life, about God.
    • What are some ways a husband can show openness to his wife?
  • Wives show their husbands respect by appreciating his desire to protect and provide.
    • Read 1 Timothy 5:8. What is the husband’s responsibility to his family?
    • Seven words which will deflate almost any husband: You need to get a real job!
    • What are some ways a wife can show respect for her husband’s desire to protect and provide?