Day 20: Love Provides

Dear friend,

From Ephesians 5:25-32, which says the love of a husband for his wife is as a picture of Christ’s love for His people, we have seen several facts about the love of Christ:

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” (NKJV)

The first point there is that the motivation for what God does, for what Christ does, is love. Second, it’s a self-giving love. Third, love has a vision of what it can do for the person it loves.

Today, we look at the fourth point about this kind of love – it makes full provision for all needs. If you study Ephesians 5, Jesus makes full provision for all the needs of the church – physical and spiritual. He cares for the church just like a man cares for his own body – He feeds it, cares for it. But He also makes spiritual provision for the cleansing of the church with the washing of water through the Word. This kind of love makes total provision for the object of its love.

And finally, and perhaps most important of all, in a sense, the ultimate purpose of this love is union.

Paul illustrates this by the words that were spoken in Genesis chapter 2 about the first marriage: "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This is a profound mystery and, believe me, it’s a mystery in the natural, but how much greater the mystery that Christ’s love envisages union with those He loves. That’s the final purpose of this self-giving love of Christ. That’s the reason why He makes all provision because He is going to be united forever with those whom He loves.

For reflection and prayer

Jesus is going to be united forever with those whom He loves.