August 14

Read: Ephesians 5:22-27

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands… Husbands, love your wives (Ephesians 5:22, 25).

Holiness, Habits, And Health

“It is possible for a habit to be physically and mentally unhealthful without being morally unholy. But holiness can help us even here. Holiness is fundamental to abundant living.

“There are some men who love their wives; they are Christians and are unquestionably morally sound, yet they have a habit of speaking roughly or discourteously. Such men know that ‘their bark is worse than their bite.’ But the habit keeps the family in constant hidden fear and insecurity. Such a habit should by all means be broken. Children can be lastingly injured emotionally by it.

“There are wives who love their husbands and would not kill them even if they had a gun and knew how to shoot it. Yet they nag, pick, find fault, and keep their husbands in a state of constant suffering. A cutting tongue hurts! A whining voice hurts; and a picking, critical attitude hurts. The wife is so accustomed to speaking sharply that she does not know she does it. But any habit which makes it impossible for our mates to relax and enjoy us will cost a high price even if it can be accepted in our concept of Christian living.

“Bad habits make us misfits among others, tense in our own systems, and insecure in our living. They are hard to break but they are too costly to live with. Fundamentally, a habit is morally wrong if it injures my health, lessens my usefulness, hurts another, or diminishes my influence for Christ. If I persistently tolerate such a habit, it becomes incompatible with my profession of holiness. I should not give up my profession, but should I not immediately bring up my standard of living?” (Milo Arnold)

Prayer For Today

Dear Lord, help me to hear myself as others hear me, and to become the kind of person that You want me to be.