Leadership starts with love.
God is love and everything He has done is a result of His love. He asks us to love Him with all our souls, minds, hearts, and strength.
If we want to lead with love, we must love God first, and allow His love to permeate all of our relationships. The first one that comes after God is our spouse. So leadership begins in the home.
Men have had a problem with that ever since the Garden of Eden. Eve was beguiled by the serpent, but she handed the fruit to Adam, who was with her. What was he doing while the serpent was conning her? He was acquiescent, which means, ready to accept something without protest, or to do what someone else wants. He didn’t step up and step in between Eve and the serpent to solve the problem.
Then, when God confronted them, later, he kicked his wife under the bus! He said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” Yeah, right! It was all her fault, and God’s fault for giving her to him!
In His judgment of Eve, God tells her, “…your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” The implication is that her desire will not be for him, physically, as much as it is for his position of leadership. She will want to be in charge!
In Ephesians 5, we find that the man is to love his wife, as Christ loves the church, and his wife is to respect her. This is exactly the opposite of the way we are wired! That’s why the Holy Spirit is so important to the husband and wife relationship. Only He can enable us to perform in our proper roles. God gave the authority of the home to the husband, but he is to lead in a loving manner.
So, how do you assume that leadership role, when it hasn’t been happening? How about praying with your wife? You can ease into it by praying for her, silently, or out loud. Then, tell her you have been praying for her. Then, pray for her out loud, in her presence. Then, ask her to pray with you. Pray together for the kids. Engage the kids in praying as a family. Praying with your wife is one of the most loving things you can do for her, and leadership starts with love!
Half the marriages in the United States end in divorce. That’s 1 out of 2! One survey found only one divorce in 1152 couples who prayed together! What do you want? 1 out of 2, or 1 out of 1152? Pray with your wife!
Heb 10:24-25 …let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, …assembling together, …encouraging one another;…