NOURISH AND CHERISH YOUR SHEEP

Main Scriptures: Eph.5:29

More Scriptures: 1Pet.3:7, 1Sam.1:8, Gen.26:8

For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church (Eph.5:29) KJV. Afterall, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church (Eph.5:29) NIV. From our Scriptures today, you will observe two important instructions that God, through the Holy Spirit, wants to communicate to you as a husband. These instructions are NOURISH and CHERISH. As a husband, you are to nourish and cherish your wife.

But what does it mean to nourish and cherish? To nourish means to provide with food or other substances necessary for growth, health and good condition and to cherish means to protect, care for someone lovingly-revere, esteem and appreciate. Why would God instruct you to do all these for your wife? It is simply because your wife is wonderfully and marvelously made and she is good and perfect. In Gen.1:31, the Scripture says that after God saw what He had created including you, He said, and behold He saw that everything that He made was VERY GOOD (Gen.1:31).

Now, if you were good and your wife was taken out of you (Gen.2:21-22), it follows therefore that your wife is also very good. It is for this reason that God has placed on you the command to nourish and cherish your wife- helping her to grow spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, in health and good condition. God wants you to esteem her, appreciate her contribution at home and in your life and the lives of your children, however small it may be. God also wants you to protect, care and esteem your wife. This is what God expects from you. This is what defines your role as dealing with your wife according to knowledge (1Pet.3:7).

Your wife should see you as her role model. She should see you as her provider. She should see you as her authority. She should see you as her shepherd. God sent you to be her leader. And He wants you to lovingly do just that. When you truly nourish and cherish your wife, she will in turn reverence you. In Eph.5:33, the word of God says this, “nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself, and the wife see that she reverence her husband”. The highest form of reward any wife can give to her husband is reverence. Trigger the process in her life and enjoy the fruits thereof.

SPIRITUAL EXERCISE

• Father, by Your Spirit, fill me with the Spirit of love and boldness.
• Father, in the Name of Jesus, help me to specially love my wife as You have loved the church.
• Father, by Your Spirit, empower me to nourish and cherish my wife as You would.

FAITH CONFESSION

I am committed to nourish and cherish my wife as Christ would because that is my highest form of service to her in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

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