June 18th, 2026
by Pastor Michael GoinsDear Dad: Love Momma Scripture: Ephesians 5:21-32 Devotional: Your children are
by Pastor Michael GoinsDear Dad: Love Momma Scripture: Ephesians 5:21-32 Devotional: Your children are
Dear Dad: Love Momma
Scripture: Ephesians 5:21-32
Devotional:
Your children are quietly learning what love looks like, what marriage means, and how a man treats a woman. They're not just watching you cheer them on, fix stuff and kneel to pray. They're watching how you treat their mother. Long before they can articulate it, they are forming a picture of love. And Dad, that picture has your face in it.
In Ephesians 5:21–32, Paul doesn't anchor a husband's love to feelings or convenience. He anchors it to something far more radical, the love of Jesus for His church.
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." (v. 25)
That love was specific and costly:
Sacrificially — He gave not just His time or resources, but Himself entirely (v. 25).
Purposefully — He worked to build her up, to present her holy and blameless, never to tear her down (vv. 26–27).
Tenderly — He nourishes and cherishes her (v. 29).
Covenantally — He left and cleaved, committing fully and permanently (v. 31).
Paul calls this "a profound mystery" (v. 32). Marriage is not just a social contract it is a living spiritual discipline. When you love your wife this way, your children don't just see a good marriage. They catch a glimpse of who Jesus is.
When a son sees his father speak to his mother with patience and kindness, he learns: this is how a man treats a woman. When a daughter sees her father support her mother with compassion, she learns: this is what I should look for. When children see their father apologize, serve, and choose his wife above his own comfort, they absorb one of the deepest truths of the gospel, real love is serving.
The reverse is also true. A dismissive or harsh husband gives his children a distorted picture, not just of marriage, but of Jesus. Be mindful of your words and actions, especially to momma.
If you're reading this with regret, take heart. The Christ whose love you're called to imitate is also the Christ who forgives and restores. You don't need to be a perfect husband, you need to be a faithful one. Your children don't need a flawless father. They need one who keeps returning to the cross and keeps getting back up.
Reflection:
What are smalls ways you can sacrifice yourself for mom? What are ways you can intentionally build her up in front of top the kids?
Scripture: Ephesians 5:21-32
Devotional:
Your children are quietly learning what love looks like, what marriage means, and how a man treats a woman. They're not just watching you cheer them on, fix stuff and kneel to pray. They're watching how you treat their mother. Long before they can articulate it, they are forming a picture of love. And Dad, that picture has your face in it.
In Ephesians 5:21–32, Paul doesn't anchor a husband's love to feelings or convenience. He anchors it to something far more radical, the love of Jesus for His church.
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." (v. 25)
That love was specific and costly:
Sacrificially — He gave not just His time or resources, but Himself entirely (v. 25).
Purposefully — He worked to build her up, to present her holy and blameless, never to tear her down (vv. 26–27).
Tenderly — He nourishes and cherishes her (v. 29).
Covenantally — He left and cleaved, committing fully and permanently (v. 31).
Paul calls this "a profound mystery" (v. 32). Marriage is not just a social contract it is a living spiritual discipline. When you love your wife this way, your children don't just see a good marriage. They catch a glimpse of who Jesus is.
When a son sees his father speak to his mother with patience and kindness, he learns: this is how a man treats a woman. When a daughter sees her father support her mother with compassion, she learns: this is what I should look for. When children see their father apologize, serve, and choose his wife above his own comfort, they absorb one of the deepest truths of the gospel, real love is serving.
The reverse is also true. A dismissive or harsh husband gives his children a distorted picture, not just of marriage, but of Jesus. Be mindful of your words and actions, especially to momma.
If you're reading this with regret, take heart. The Christ whose love you're called to imitate is also the Christ who forgives and restores. You don't need to be a perfect husband, you need to be a faithful one. Your children don't need a flawless father. They need one who keeps returning to the cross and keeps getting back up.
Reflection:
What are smalls ways you can sacrifice yourself for mom? What are ways you can intentionally build her up in front of top the kids?
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