Of course this whole concept of "biblical husbanding" has been on my mind as of late, for I'm getting married in 33 days :=)As I'm working my way through Stuart Scott's book, The Exemplary Husband, I came across a great quote last night that I want to share with you:
Here, Scott is speaking in regards to leadership in the home and he says the more the husband knows the Scriptures, the more direction that husband will have not only in his own life, but for his wife and for their marriage together. Then Scott quotes J.C. Ryle, the Bishop of Liverpool in 1880 who gives a great quote on "decision-making:"
The Bible must be our standard. Whenever we are confronted with a question about Christian practice, we must apply the teaching of the Bible. Sometimes the Bible will deal with it directly, and we must go by its direct teaching. Often the Bible will not deal with it directly, and then we must look for general principles to guide us. It does not matter what other people think. Their behavior is not a standard for us. But the Bible is a standard for us, and it is by the Bible that we must live (quoted in Scott, Exemplary Husband, 140).
May this be true not only of husbands and the way that we make decisions, but may this also be true of all believers. Every single believer must have the Word of God as the standard. I like that word "standard." Furthermore, Ryle makes an excellent note when he says that it does not matter what other people think. For in the culture that we live in, most everything that we do as Christians will be nonsensical to the watching, secular, postmodern, hedonistic world. It is imperative that we remember that it is NOT their approval that we are seeking. We are mindful that the inspired, inerrant, authoritative and infallible Word of God is our standard.
May we live that way today.