NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curriculum and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the Explore the Bible curriculum.
Discussion Questions:
— How can the way a man treats his wife impact his spiritual life? The spiritual life of others?
— In what ways can Christian husbands show they honor their wives?
Food for Thought:
By Dwayne McCrary, team leader for Explore the Bible
My wife Lisa inherited the “good dishes” from her grandmother. When she inspected the set, the majority of the place settings looked as if they had never been used. However, on the very top of the stack was one plate that was tattered and worn. You could hardly tell it was a part of the set.
This was THE plate.
Lisa’s grandmother served her grandfather his evening meal on that plate. Even at family occasions when paper was used, he used this plate. She removed that one plate from the stack and carefully wrapped it in protective paper, using twice as much as she did to wrap the other dishes. It was fragile and needed the protection, but so did the other plates. But it was THE plate and deserved greater care and protection.
Whenever I see that plate I am reminded of Peter’s directions to husbands. He called for husbands to honor their wives as one in need of understanding and protection. In that same vein, we are to do so in such a way so as to demonstrate that we value them especially since Christ’s sacrifice was for all people regardless of gender (see 1 Peter 3:7). We are to stand up for them as people who have opinions, beliefs and feelings.
THE plate also reminds me that value comes not from how the plate compares to the others in the stack but, rather, from the service rendered. Our value as humans doesn’t come though our ability to lift more weights than another person. It comes through how well we serve our family, each other and our Savior. Honor always comes through service.
EXPLORE THE BIBLE
Explore the Bible is an ongoing Bible study curriculum that helps groups dig into the key truths of each Bible book, while keeping the group on pace to study through the entire Bible in eight years. More information can be found on the Internet at Explore the Bible
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at Sunday School
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