I am sending this out early since I will be unavailable for a few days next week. 

Men, imagine this scenario:  You finally arrive in heaven and are now standing before God as He asks you, “When you were on earth, how did you care for my daughter, your wife?”  Further, He questions, “Did you love her as my Son loved His church, giving up His life to make her holy?”  You stammer out a,”Well, yes, but…”  All the while, thinking this is all sounding kind of familiar.  Ephesians 5:25 admonishes husbands to love their wives as Christ loved His church and gave Himself for her.  Further, the scripture reveals that Christ will present His church as a “radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish.”  In verse 28 we read, “In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies…He who loves his wife loves himself.”

Could, “in this same way,” actually mean that as Christ would present His bride, we would present our wife?  If we could take this literally or simply imagine this to someday be the case, then ask yourself the question, “What will I present?”  Clearing your throat, your lips begin to move without thinking too deeply and you stumble out with, “Ah here she is, Lord, I only became angry with her a couple dozen times, called her a few not-so-nice names, cursed a time or two, slammed a few doors, walked out on her on several occasions, refused to help much around the house and told jokes at her expense.”  God looks at you and queries, “Really, you just didn’t love yourself very much then did you?”  Your head sinks when from your spirit comes the words, “Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself.”