Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.
–1 Peter 3:1-2
If you want to understand your mate and create a good, fulfilling marriage, you have to understand your responsibilities as a spouse.
God planned the marriage to be an unconditional commitment with devotion and service to each other. With that come responsibilities for both the spouses.
Let’s look at the wife’s responsibilities according to 1 Peter 3:1. There are two major responsibilities for the wife:
To have a giving spirit. “Likewise, you wives, be subject to your own husbands” (1 Peter 3:1). Now, for some, “subject” is an ugly word. But it means to rank under authority. All Christians are called to subject ourselves to God and to the body of Christ. And wives are instructed to do the same for their husbands.
However, this doesn’t imply any inferiority. Jesus submitted Himself to His heavenly Father and we know that God and Christ are co-equal. It is simply a chain of command or responsibility. Wives are to give themselves voluntarily. Not by coercion or force, but out of love, devotion, and appreciation for God’s gift. When you give like that, you can’t help but gain!
Secondly, wives should have a gentle spirit. “Do not let your adorning be external — the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear — but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious” (1 Peter 3:3-4).
A gentle spirit does not mean that you’re a doormat, but it means serenity, the peacefulness of a quiet, gentle spirit. It refers to the cultivation of inner beauty in the character of Christ.
Wives, Scripture says that if you have a giving and gentle spirit, your husbands will be won without a single word! Your godly life and the beauty of your testimony will reveal Christ to your husband.
PRAY ABOUT WHAT A GIVING AND GENTLE SPIRIT MEANS IN YOUR MARRIAGE.
