by David Chadwick

A toolbox packed full of different tools gives someone the confidence to step into a variety of situations and bring a solution. If you only have a “hammer” and you find a situation that needs a “screwdriver,” you will not get very far.

Over the next two weeks, we are exploring 8 Great Ways to Honor Your Wife. I want to give you, husbands, tools to strengthen your marriage. My prayer is that God strengthens your marriage as you put these “8 Greats” into practice in your home.

Today’s tool: be a man of God!

This is an absolute must for all husbands. You are to be an earthly example of Jesus to your bride.

True biblical manhood is a blend of tough and tender. In the Bible, David is referred to as a man after God’s own heart. A humble worshiper and a valiant warrior. A beloved shepherd and a giant slayer.

As you strengthen your relationship with Jesus, growing in your biblical manhood, your wife will trust you more and more. Your daily pursuit of God will bring honor to her. She will want to honor you as you honor Jesus. In turn, your marriage will bring honor to the Lord.

When a husband’s faith is lived out in the home as a humble worshiper, a forgiven forgiver, and a strong leader with bridled power (Galatians 5:25), the wife will experience the blessing of his pursuit of Jesus.

A wife can easily appreciate and honor a husband who lives under the control of the Holy Spirit, who crucifies the lusts of the flesh, who is self-controlled, and who lives a disciplined life.

This is also so important in seeing a man and a woman become one.

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This series is adapted from the book, 8 Great Ways to Honor Your Wife by David Chadwick. To download your free PDF copy of this book, please visit our website by clicking here!

by David Chadwick

I want to teach you principles for developing biblical love and honor within a marriage.

I love pithy statements that help to easily remember things. Marilynn and I have found the term “8 Great” to be a very easy way to remember Godly principles for different areas of life.

Over the next two weeks, I want to share 8 Great Ways to Honor Your Wife. Each day, I am going to give you, husbands, a new tool that you can put in your tool belt. Different situations require different tools and my prayer is that you will become more equipped to lead and love your wife with HONOR.

Here is the first tool: trust her gut!

It’s almost as if wives have been given an early warning radar system by God. They can sense danger for their husbands from a mile away. Genesis 2:24 says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” As two become one, a wife’s heart increasingly feels for her husband’s heart.

And wants his heart to be completely protected.

I have so many examples of times I can look back on and see that Marilynn was exactly correct in her intuitions about certain situations and people. If I had listened to her more carefully, I could have avoided some pain.

My Marilynn’s prayer walk is deep and rich. I can trust she is hearing God’s voice (John 10:27). And like God, I know she is FOR me (Romans 8:31).

Husbands, listen to your wife. Honor her warnings.

It will greatly aid in you both becoming one.

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This series is adapted from the book, 8 Great Ways to Honor Your Wife by David Chadwick. To download your free PDF copy of this book, please visit our website by clicking here!

Honor. Such a powerful word. To honor is defined as this: “to regard with great respect, to prize, to admire, to give special recognition, to demonstrate high respect or great esteem for someone."

In historical biblical culture, the word “honor” carried tremendous weight. Even today, there are cultures around the world that place a high value on honor.

In God’s original intent, honor is a tool to bestow on one another, to bless, to prefer someone else over ourselves.

Unfortunately, in the modern American Christian culture, people seem to gravitate to one of two extremes regarding honor. It’s either overused or missing in action, not used at all. Neither extreme is biblical.

Biblical honor does not demand artificial respect to cover up someone’s deeper insecurities or evil agendas. Biblical honor does, however, create an atmosphere of respect, rooted in the Word of God, where leadership is revered and everyone can flourish.

From the call to honor parents in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:12) to Paul’s desire that all Christians honor one another (Romans 12:10) to husbands commanded by Peter to honor their wives (1 Peter 3:7), honor is interwoven throughout all of Scripture.

For the next two weeks, we are going to look specifically at how husbands can and should honor their wives. If you are single, take notes and begin to train your mind and your heart, even now, with things that could bless a future marriage.

If you are married, start to put these principles into practice in your daily lives. The goal is for two to become one (Genesis 2:24).

And honor is a great tool God has put in the hands of husbands to help this take place.

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This series is adapted from the book, 8 Great Ways to Honor Your Wife by David Chadwick. To download your free PDF copy of this book, please visit our website by clicking here!

Faithful friends are hard to come by and the ones you find are worth keeping.

Paul had a faithful friend named Epaphroditus who he describes in detail in Philippians 2:25. I pray that Paul’s description helps to show you what characteristics to look for in your friendships.

Epaphroditus was a brother, a fellow worker, a fellow soldier, and a messenger. And today we will look at the fifth and final characteristic where Paul calls Epaphroditus “your minister to my needs” (verse 25).

Epaphroditus was a minister of the church at Philippi, sent to Paul in a Roman prison to meet his needs.

Please note that Epaphroditus did not come with what he thought Paul needed. He had not made a predetermined list of what he believed Paul should have. He went to Rome in humility to find out from Paul what his actual needs were. Then he committed to try and meet them.

That’s what good and close friends do. They come to you and listen. They try to hear your heart and then meet your needs. They do not have an agenda for your life. They want to see you succeed and thrive.

In fact, one of Paul’s teachings in Ephesians 4:29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.”

Good friends don’t come and pontificate or preach. They come to listen. Sometimes you don’t even need to say anything! You listen. Then respond.

This was Epaphroditus to Paul. He was a minister of Jesus who was sent by the Philippian church to care for Paul’s needs. But first he understood them. He even risked his life in coming to serve Paul (verse 29). But that’s how much he loved Paul. How we all need friends like this!

Faithful. This word is defined as “steadfast in affection or allegiance, loyal, constant, devoted.”

Paul describes his faithful friend Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:25. He uses five terms to describe him. A brother. A fellow worker. A fellow soldier.

And today’s description: your messenger!

Paul calls Epaphroditus in these verses “your messenger” (verse 25). The Philippian church sent him to encourage Paul with a gift. We don’t know what the gift actually was but their message must have helped Paul feel encouraged in his prison trial.

How do you strengthen a friendship? Become a messenger!

Being the bearer of encouragement helps you become a faithful friend. Give someone hope. Send someone a Bible verse. Write out a prayer. Or maybe send a text of hope. Even better, a handwritten note! Send him or her a song that will be encouraging.

Or maybe go out and buy a gift. Ask the Lord to show you what your friend needs. A book? A devotional? A key chain? Or get even more creative. Maybe you read an encouraging story that reminds your friend. Cut it out and send it to him or her! AND then if you really want to go the extra mile, deliver it to him or her personally!

Tell your friend, “I was thinking of and praying for you and this came to mind. I pray it gives you hope.”

These are things that people have done for me over the years and each time it happens, it helps me! It encourages my soul just like it did for Paul!

Being a messenger of hope will draw you closer and closer to your friend and encourage his or her heart.

Messengers who come to us personally in times of need become great and close friends. Be that kind of friend to someone today!

Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Do you know what I have found to create the deepest of bonds between faithful friends? Even more than being a brother or a fellow worker? Someone who is a fellow soldier! It is the third term Paul uses to describe Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:25.

A faithful friend who is a fellow soldier understands that we are at war. There is a battle raging for souls until Jesus returns. A fellow soldier counts the cost of what is happening and sees the eternal victory. A fellow soldier is poised and ready for battle. A fellow soldier identifies enemies and threats and seeks to protect those around them. These traits make for a truly faithful friend.

Interestingly, Epaphroditus became ill while visiting Paul in the Roman prison. We don’t know exactly what the disease was, but it was serious. It almost cost Epaphroditus his life! But God had mercy on him (verse 27) and spared him.

Nothing will draw you closer to another than to go through a huge crisis together. And fight together for the victory. Epaphroditus cared for Paul in prison, not knowing if he was going to die and Paul cared for Epaphroditus in a near death illness, not knowing if he was going to die. They both learned how to fight for one another and contend for a breakthrough!

The fight against evil in this world is real. When you battle together with someone in spiritual warfare, fighting against the wiles of the enemy, and eventually overcome the problem, you tend to remain close to that person forever.

Look at people in your church as your “fellow soldiers.” Recognize that you are in a war. And as you fight and win together, you might just find another faithful friend!

Faithful friends are hard to come by! They are the rare ones who weep when you weep and rejoice when you rejoice (Romans 12:15). They bear your burdens (Galatians 6:2). They challenge you to grow out of your sin and move into righteousness (Proverbs 27:6).

Paul had a faithful friend named Epaphroditus. He described him very intentionally in Philippians 2:25. First, as a brother. And secondly as “my fellow worker.”

What does this mean? As a fellow worker, both Paul and Ephaphroditus both shared in the common labor of loving and serving Christ. They worked together first in Philippi and then as Paul was in a prison in Rome.

Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

James 2:17 says, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Ephesians 2:10 says that we were “created in Christ Jesus for good works.”

Clearly work and actions are really important to God. And having a friend on the same page to work with and to work for the Lord makes for a special friendship!

When you are working with someone on a common mission to serve Jesus, it draws you closer together. That’s why sports teammates often remain friends for life. In some cases, they only play together for a few years in college (like I did with my UNC teammates), but they end up being friends forever. The common game trials and experiences draw the team together for life.

Paul and Epaphroditus labored together to plant the Philippian church. To reach souls for Jesus. To serve the needy. These experiences bonded them for life.

Get involved in a church. Find a project that brings people to faith in Jesus. Or serves the needs of the poor. Or cares for the sick. You will surely develop “my fellow worker” relationships, friendships that will last forever because you have labored together for the kingdom!

How many of you have a faithful friend? Someone who loves you, champions you, and desires God’s best for your life. Or maybe you are blessed enough to have two, three, or even more! Faithful friends are hard to come by and can only be proven through seasons of both trials and victories.

The apostle Paul had a friend like this. His name was Epaphroditus and you’ll find their story in Philippians 2:25-30. Paul described him in verse 25 as his “brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need.”

Epaphroditus came from Philippi to bring Paul a gift of encouragement when Paul was in prison, most likely in Rome, around 62 AD.

Paul genuinely loved and respected Epaphroditus. Paul used five terms to describe their friendship, the first one being “my brother” (Philippians 2:25). A faithful friend feels almost like a family member, and in some cases can even be better than a family member!

Although not biologically related, upon their salvation, Epaphroditus and Paul shared the same royal blood lineage of Jesus.

My family brother, Howard, was a dear friend for years until he passed away a couple of years ago. Our family connection made us naturally close. But his love for Jesus was what made our connection especially impactful. It was our royal blood connection that made our love for one another even deeper and something that will last for eternity.

Paul and Epaphroditus did not have the same family, but they shared a common love and commitment to Jesus. They were members of the family of God. They both knew God as their “Daddy” in heaven.

We all need an Epaphroditus! Friends in the church like he was to Paul. Brothers and sisters in Christ who can spur us on as we run this race.

With God as our Daddy, Jesus as our big brother, the family of God is the most powerful agent of hope to the world! When you have a friend like Epaphroditus was to Paul, you have a friend indeed!

This week we are sharing some of your favorite Moments of Hope from 2024. Thank you for taking a moment of your day to grow in your discipleship journey with us. To explore additional resources from Moments of Hope Church, please click here to visit our website.   by David Chadwick   We have looked at some hidden heroes from the Bible this week. People who are probably not as known, but had a significant impact on the storyline of the Bible.   But I want to wrap up this week with another couple of bad guys. These are two individuals who tried to thwart all of the good in God’s story. Yet, in spite of their efforts, God was still able to work it out for his good.   Zimri and Cozbi. Two bad guys who were enemies to God’s heroes.   Their story is found in Numbers 25.   On the way to the Promised Land, the Midianites tried to entice the Israelites toward adultery and sexual infidelity. They began to worship the gods of Baal.   Satan has known for all of time that if you can’t destroy a nation from the outside, through invasion, then destroy them from within. Destroy their values. Morals. Principles. And that is exactly what the Midianite women did with the Israelite men.   A man from Israel named Zimri and a woman from the Midianites named Cozbi openly flaunted their sin among the Israelites. They even went into Zimri’s tent right next to the tabernacle, to sleep with one another.   Phinehas, who had a zeal for God’s holiness and righteousness, was so fed up with the open defilement against God’s laws that he went in and killed them both. He was actually rewarded by God for his holy fervor with a perpetual priesthood because he practiced God’s righteousness and holiness.   I find it interesting that God openly named these two godless sinners. Don’t let it shock you. All of our names are either written in God’s book of life or not. Every name in the world is known by God. And those who sin without being forgiven by Jesus will have a public reading of their names one day in judgment.   It’s a sobering thought for all to consider! Is your name in the Lamb’s book of life? Don’t wait to surrender your life to Jesus. When he saves you, you become one of his favorites and as he writes your name in the Lamb’s book of life, you are forever forgiven.

This week we are sharing some of your favorite Moments of Hope from 2024. Thank you for taking a moment of your day to grow in your discipleship journey with us. To explore additional resources from Moments of Hope Church, please click here to visit our website.   by Marilynn Chadwick   The “Doctrine of the Trinity” is a powerful tool to refute many heresies. Now you know why the Apostles Creed, with its strong affirmation of the Trinity, was written in the second century to combat the rise of false teaching in the early church.   The scope of God’s created order is a mystery too great to fathom. But in a paradoxical way, the Trinity helps us know God more intimately. In the Trinity we see the unity of the triune God—One God in Three Persons. We begin to comprehend God in relationship with the Trinity, with the world, and with us. The Trinity also helps us understand the realities behind the names of God—"God the “Father,” “God the Son,” and “God the Holy Spirit.” The influential 13th century theologian Thomas Aquinas tells us the name “God” refers to the whole of the Trinity.   Teaching the doctrine of the Trinity helps us embrace what theologians refer to as a “Trinitarian culture.” The early Church developed a vibrant Trinitarian culture which influenced their reading of Scripture, their prayer life, and their worship. Simply put, the Trinity helps us understand the interplay of the Trinity. When we pray, we are praying to the Trinity. When we worship, we are worshiping the Trinity. When we witness, we are emboldened and animated by the Trinity.   The Good News of the Gospel is carried forth into the world in word and deed as we learn what it means to walk in the Spirit. A Trinitarian-culture-in-action invites us to pray, study God’s Word, worship, and serve God in the world. Our works should naturally flourish when this doctrine is rightly taught, contemplated, and practiced. Might we see a resurgence in the miracles of Pentecost—healings, miracles, and redeemed souls—like those which occurred in the early church and are manifested in the Global South and Far Eastern churches even today?   Our cultivation of “Trinitarian wisdom” helps us better understand One God in Three Persons. A robust Trinitarian faith enlivens our understanding of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through the creative and multiplying work of each—in the world, in the universe, and in our small souls. We see God is not simply a mysterious mixture of three Beings. Rather, each has a personality—separate, yet One. Prayer becomes prayer to the Trinity. We worship the Trinity. We are saved by, through, and in the Trinity. Life in the Spirit is life in the Trinity.   Thoughts of a triune God slow us down. The doctrine of the Trinity prods us to humbly contemplate these matters, “too wonderful for us” (Ps 131:1; 139:6). The Trinity is a mystery, a “simple yet difficult” doctrine and one which points to realities beyond our ability to understand. We are invited to enter into the experiential knowledge of the Trinity. Aquinas called the Trinity a “gift of God” which prepares us to contemplate him in the joy of heaven. Much fruit has been born out of Trinitarian wisdom in the historical church. Might we pray for this wisdom, along with a vibrant Trinitarian culture, to become more present in ours?