With only a few days until the wedding, naturally I've been thinking about what I might say to Aaron and Jenny during the ceremony. I think that it is so cool that I have the honor of officiating their wedding. I am truly hoping that everything goes well for them this weekend.
I want to share with Aaron from 1 Peter 3:7.
Husbands, likewise, dwell with them (wives) with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. (NKJV)
When Peter mentions the weaker vessel, he is not referring to the physical strength of a man verses a woman. I like to think of his use of a weaker vessel as comparing a china teacup to a heavy ceramic coffee mug. While both have the purpose of holding a hot beverage, one is more delicate and more valuable than the other.
You may have a special place to display your fine china--maybe an open or glass front cabinet. You give it a place of honor among drinking vessels and everybody that comes into your home knows that these are "special" vessels. You only use them for special occasions and guests are honored when you allow them to use these fine china teacups.
Coffee mugs, on the other hand, are an everyday item. They may be stacked in a cupboard or stored on the counter. They are both functional and durable. We think nothing of using them daily and they hold no special meaning or value.
We (husbands) are to live with them with understanding (NIV says to be considerate) because we are heirs with them. Our marriage partnership includes the blessings of God's grace. And finally, Peter says that when we don't give honor to our wives, God doesn't hear our prayers.
Sharing with Jenny about being a godly wife is a bit more difficult. I think that Paul understood that it's difficult for a woman to listen to an man tell her how to be a godly woman. In his letter to Titus (2:3-5), he writes:
...the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. (NKJV)
It is so important for a young Christian woman to have godly Christian women as role models. I will encourage her to seek women of faith that she can confide in and go to for wise counsel. I will remind her that, as a pastor's wife, she will be that "Titus woman" for many girls and young women and must always be aware of how her actions as a wife will be perceived by other women.
I am really looking forward to watching these two young adults as they grow in their relationship with each other and as they continue to mature in their relationship with God.
It's going to be a great weekend!
John
Here's hoping for the most hassle free weekend possible.
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