When you have an opportunity to go out to enjoy yourself, who do you want to go with? Do you want to go with girlfriends? Or your husband? We always want to go with our best friend, don't we?
In Titus 2:4 the older women are exhorted to teach the young women to "love their husbands." The Greek word used here is not agape (God's divine love which goes beyond the love of man). It is not "eros" which is sexual love. We need to experience both of these in our marriage, but the one God uses in this passage is "philandros." This is a friendly, affectionate love.
We are not only to love our husbands, but to be friendly and affectionate to them. Throughout the day we should take every opportunity to cuddle, kiss, hug, and touch. The more we do this, the more we release love to each other. We must work at being friendly. It’s easy forget about it in the challenges of the day and the tiredness of the evening, isn’t it?
We should speak to our husbands as though we were speaking to our best friend. Do we yell at our best friend? Do we give the silent treatment to our best friend? Exodus 33:11 tells us that God spoke to Moses "face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." He told things to Moses that He didn't tell anyone else. There is a special way we speak to friends. We are usually polite, sweet, kind, and respectful. This is the same way we should speak to our husband. And remember, "A friend loveth AT ALL TIMES" (Proverbs 17:17).
Another wonderful thing about friendship is learning from one another, encouraging one another, and sometimes debating with one another to greater intellectual and spiritual heights. My husband and I love to discuss subjects together—and we don't always agree! How boring that would be. My husband always says, "We don't have to agree with one another, but we do have to love one another."
Proverbs 27:17: "Iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."
I know loads of wives like to go on a “Girls' Night Out”! But I have to tell you the truth, I’d rather go out with my husband (or stay home with him) than anyone else in the world. And that's after 58 years of marriage!
Blessings to you today,
Nancy Campbell