God’s way always leads to human flourishing. He has provided wisdom on these topics in a whole book of the Bible. When it comes to relationships, marriage, and dating, these topics have the most confusion and heartache so we must continually point ourselves back to the good news of Jesus Christ.
Through the gospel, Jesus doesn’t love a future version of you, He loves the broken you, the messy you, the sinful you. Through the gospel, the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority of His divine Word, He can bring healing, and produce flourishing.
There are 5 wisdom books in the Bible. Wisdom is the skill to navigate life. Job shows how to navigate trials, Psalms teaches how to interact with the Lord, and the Song of Songs explains how to navigate love.
Song of Songs 1:1-14 provides us with 2 traits of a godly man.
1. A godly man is proactive in refining his character
Whether you are a husband, want to be a husband, or simply want to be like Jesus, you can pursue Christlikeness.
The woman in this chapter is attracted to the man and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, we run into trouble when that’s the only thing.
What are some characteristics to look out for?
Humility. Is this guy teachable and willing to be under authority?
Commitment. This guy is not playing around with multiple women.
Does the guy you’re interested in respect older people and love Jesus?
2. A godly man builds up the woman in his life
1 Peter 3:7 Life with your wife in an understanding way and honor her.
Solomon builds up the Shunamite woman with his words here. Nearly every woman I’ve ever met struggles with insecurity. Every girl is asking, “Am I worth anything? Am I pretty?”
Our culture and the Enemy beats women down by telling them they’re ugly and have no value. This is a lie because every lady is valuable. Ultimately, your identity isn’t in a man, it must be in the perfect man, Jesus Christ. The husband must come alongside and help in that by building the wife up and coaching her.
Husbands, you need to talk to your wife as if she’s the most important person in your life. You want your wife to say, “That’s my man! My love for him leaps tall towers like gazelles on noon day…”
The way you receive love is the way you tend to give it whether through gifts, words, affection, service, or time.
Here are 2 traits of a godly woman.
1. A godly woman is proactive in refining her character
Ladies, be careful when you talk about yourself negatively because the enemy will pounce on that and cause you to be insecure.
Both Solomon and the woman draw the line for the sexual standard. It’s not where is the line, it’s when is the time. The only time is marriage. Period.
Sex is a good thing and human flourishing occurs when sex takes place within a covenant marriage between a man and a woman.
2. A godly woman encourages, not criticizes
She is his cheerleader far more than his critic. Men have a tendency to neglect their wives and women have a tendency to nag their husbands.
Criticism to a man feels like a complete undermining of his manhood. The man in your life wants respect more than anything else. Men aren’t complicated, they repeat what ladies reward.
Men and women cannot do it alone however, we need Jesus, His Word, and His Church.
To learn more about Pastor Chris and his teaching, visit us on the web at fcfamily.org and make sure you subscribe to receive these weekly encouragements in your inbox.
