A short devotional (episode 60) in the "Summer of Scripture" series where Dave Willis and a co-host read and reflect on 1 Peter 3:7. They explain the verse's instruction that husbands honor and understand their wives, contrast selfish/authoritarian leadership with sacrificial, servant leadership modeled by Christ, and warn that mistreating a spouse can hinder a man’s prayer life. The episode emphasizes mutual love, respect, and responsibility within marriage and cautions against using Biblical submission to control or emotionally abuse a partner.
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Welcome to Summer of Scripture on the Naked marriage podcast. For 66 days in a row, we're releasing a short daily devotional for your marriage. Over these 66 days, we'll be sharing one scripture from each of the 66 books of the Bible and talking about how it applies to your life and marriage. Listen to all 66 episodes of these, and you'll have a better understanding of God's word and his perfect plan for your marriage. Let's dive in to today's scripture.
Hey, friends. Hello, friends. Welcome to episode 60 in Summer of Scripture. We're in the book of First Peter today. Peter was an apostle, a disciple of Jesus Christ, one of the 12 core followers that Jesus hand picked and then tapped as a special leader. Even among that group of 12, he was a great leader in the early church, ultimately died as a martyr. And when they killed him, they crucified him. But because he felt so unworthy to die in the same way Jesus had died, he asked to be crucified upside down, which they did. They granted that request. And so Peter was crucified upside down because he didn't feel worthy to die in the same way as Jesus. He had a lot of great stuff to say in the two books that bear his name in the Bible. And today in First Peter, our verses 3, 7 says this in the same way. You husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together, she may be physically weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered. And it's a beautiful challenge to husbands. Specifically, he talks to wives as well about the importance of respecting your husband, honoring your husband. But just a word to husbands here for a second. I don't know of anywhere else in the scripture where it gives something specific that can hinder your prayers. If you're not careful about it, like when you don't do this or when you do this, it'll actually kind of cause a blocker for your prayers even getting through. And if you're cruel to your wife, insensitive to your wife, disrespectful to your wife, it not only harms your marriage. Peter's saying, it sabotages your prayer life. God's not gonna want to hear from a guy that's not being good to his wife because we're called to love our wives the way Jesus loves his church, where he gave his life for her.
Yeah, it is a high calling. And we've seen where in some situations, you know, there's other verses that talks about subm. I mean, that's, I think, where many people kind of misunderstand what that is. You know, it talks about how first we are called to mutually submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. And then it says, husbands, submit to your wife. I'm sorry, wives submit to your husbands. And basically to respect their husbands. And then it talks about, you know, the husband loving the wife as Christ loved the church, being willing to lay down his life for her. And I've seen husbands, though, really cling to the verses about the wives and their submission to them and then like totally ignoring this other part of it. And I think that, you know, maybe the people that he was talking to had the same kind of predicament where these husbands were really understanding this whole like, submission thing that their wives are called to submit to them and really like reminding their wives of this. Like, you're supposed to submit to me. I'm supposed to be the leader of this house. But then them not showing them love and respect and honor at all. And really, you know, that can be emotionally abusive. We've actually, in today's, you know, time, we, we know people who have, who have divorced over this because the husband was like a just hard lined, you know, would use, like, would hold those verses of submission over his wife's head, but then not at all pay attention to what he's called to do. And really what a husband is called to do is an even, even, like harder and higher calling.
You're loving like Christ where it is selfless. You're. You're sacrificing your life. You're meeting these. You're washing feet and ultimately giving your life.
You're willing to give your life.
Yeah, and that's the standard. I mean, guys, we've got a lot to live up to before we start pointing the finger and saying you need to do more of this or that. Right?
And I mean, we're both called. We have different distinct roles and we could get into whole podcast episodes about that, which we have. But I think that really what it boils down to is we both have a high calling that we're called to in marriage. And really we're both called to love, honor and respect each other. And I love how it really emphasizes, because I do think that certain, there are certain men and women can do the very same thing with misunderstanding their role as well. But we're talking about husbands today, so I'm just gonna talk about that. There are Certain men out there that maybe in the way that they're wired, they really just, you know, they want, they want the authority, okay? And God does give them a certain, you know, level of leadership and a calling of leadership on their life in marriage. But it's out of love and it's out of honor and it's out of protection and respect.
Leadership within the body of Christ, within the kingdom of Go. He says, like Gentiles, meaning like in that context, unchristians, they use authority as a way to like control others, lord over others. He said, but with us, the greatest among you must be a servant. And so leadership within a marriage and within really Christianity as a whole is defined by servanthood. It's defined by being the first one to go to serve the needs of another and to protect. And as husbands, we have a unique calling to serve and to protect. And that's what leadership really should look like. And the wife has a unique role to help lift us up as we do.
That saying, I believe in you, that's a big part of it is like. And not that we have no leadership role to play at all. I mean, most decisions, obviously, like nearly all of them, we wanna decide together and stuff, but there is more of a burden placed on the husband and more of a responsibility. And he'll be held to that responsibility. And I think that with these verses in particular, it's saying, don't use this to be, you know, to kind of have something over your wife. Use this, you know, be a leader who honors your wife. Because if you're gonna lord this over her and not have a sacrificial kind of leadership, like, you're not getting the ear of God. That is like, that's in your face. That is in your face.
You know, that's bold, guys. That's a wake up call. Should be for all of us. Love your wife. Well, there's so many reasons to do it. And there's one more. Because God does not tolerate.
Don't be manipulative.
Who's going to be a bully. Yeah, love her.
Well, exactly.
I love you so much.
I love you so much.
Guys, thanks for tuning in. Join us tomorrow. Day 61, we'll be in the book of Second Peter.
