October 22, hedonism for husbands and wives.

Now, as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Ephesians 5 24 and 25.

There is a pattern of love in marriage ordained by God. The roles of husband and wife are not the same.

The husband is to take his special cues from Christ as the head of the church.

The wife is to take her special cues from God's design for the church as submissive to Christ.

In doing this, the sinful and damaging results of the fall begin to be reversed.

The fall twisted man's loving headship into hostile domination in some men and lazy indifference in others.

The fall twisted woman's intelligent, willing submission into manipulative obsequiousness in some women and brazen insubordination in others.

The redemption we anticipated when the Messiah finally came in Jesus Christ was not the

dismantling of the created order of loving headship and willing submission, but a recovery of it.

Wives, redeem your fallen submission by modeling it after Christ's intention for a joyful church.

Husbands, redeem your fallen headship by modeling it after Christ's intention for the lavishly loving Christ.

I find in Ephesians 5 21 to 33 these two things, the display of Christian hedonism in marriage

and the direction its impulses should take.

Wives, seek your joy in the joy of your husband

by affirming and honoring his God-ordained role as head or leader of your relationship.

Husbands, seek your joy in the joy of your wife by accepting the responsibility to lead as Christ led the church and gave himself for her.

I would like to bear witness to God's goodness in my life.

I discovered Christian hedonism the same year I got

married, 1968. Since then, Noel and I, in obedience to Jesus Christ, have pursued as passionately

as we can the deepest, most lasting joy as possible.

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