I listened to this 11-minute Ask Pastor John that I hadn’t heard for years. It doesn’t get much better than this. The entire portion is worth listening to, and it’s all in the transcript at that link. He asked three good questions, but it was the second that most resonated with me:
Does your affection for and delight in your husband detract from or diminish your delight in the word of God, the people of God, and the service of God? Or does your affection for him, your enjoyment of him deepen and intensify your love for Christ, your enjoyment of his word, and your engagement with his people?
“Happy is the husband, and happy is the wife, whose love for each other is secondary to their love for Christ.”
In other words, the first suggestion asks, what are the effects of losing your husband? And the second suggestion asks, what are the effects of the ongoing presence and enjoyment of your husband? Jesus says, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37).
I think he would say, whoever loves husband or wife more than me is not worthy of me. We can measure the superiority of our affection for Jesus both by what would happen if we lost our best earthly beloved and what happens while we enjoy our best earthly beloved.
This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.
