Do you realize when you do something for your spouse you’re doing it for Christ? In the Bible in Matthew 25, Jesus said, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

When the “righteous” asked him when they did all those things Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Those who didn’t do those things which met his needs, he said “Depart from me, you who are cursed.”

In light of the words of Jesus we pray the following paraphrases will challenge your resolve to treat your spouse “as unto the Lord.” The Husband’s Paraphrase comes from the book, The Politically Incorrect Wife, written by Nancy Cobb and Connie Grigsby, published by Multnomah Books. The Wife’s Paraphrase is written by Cindy Wright (being inspired by Nancy and Connie’s poem). We hope you’ll pray asking the Lord to show you what He has for you to learn:

THE HUSBAND PARAPHRASE
(of Matthew 25:35-40)

I was hungry for breakfast, dinner,
and sometimes even lunch, snacks,
a kind word, a warm hug, to talk to you,
to be loved by you. …
You gave me something to eat.

I was thirsty to feel accepted by you,
to take the leadership role in our home,
to be admired by you, to be respected by you.
I mowed the lawn and needed refreshing and…
You gave me something to drink.

I was a stranger; my mood was bad.
I had been unreasonable.
I had been mean, thoughtless,
forgetful, unhelpful, self-centered…
you invited me in.

I was naked, you did all my wash—
even when I dropped it on the floor.
You sewed on my missing buttons.
You ironed my wrinkled shirts.
You let me bare my soul to you.
You saw the real me that others never see—
with all my quirks and uncovered ugliness,
and you never exposed me before our children, family, or friends. …
You clothed me.

I was sick—
you know my colds are worse than anyone else’s.
Sometimes I said things to you I didn’t mean.
I got depressed and. …
You cared for me.

I was in prison; my job got to me some days
and I withdrew from you.
When I was lonely you were there for me.
You prayed for me.
When I was consumed with a problem,
when I was unforgiving, when I didn’t deserve anything
because of the way I’ve treated you
and I was so ashamed. …
You came to me.

Jesus would say to you,
“When you did these things for your husband,
you did them for Me.”

---

THE WIFE PARAPHRASE
(of Matthew 25:35-40)

I was hungry to spend time with you,
needing to sit together, talk together, and be loved by you.
You saw that I was busy doing more than I could handle
and you asked me, “How can I best help you?”
As we worked side by side finishing everything up,
I realized my hunger was being fed
because now we could both relax together …
In this way you gave me something to eat.

I was thirsty to know Christ in a deeper way
and you helped quench my thirst
through washing me with the water of the word
by sharing insights the Lord had given you
during your own devotional time with Him.
You have given me something to drink.

I was a stranger (sometimes even to me);
I wasn’t kind in how I treated you.
And yet you blessed me instead
by finding a way to make my heart smile.
Despite everything, I knew you still loved me.
I’m so thankful for how you find ways
to bring laughter into our lives together.
You invited me in to be your partner.

I felt naked emotionally.
When I needed warmth
because of the cold, harsh circumstances of life,
You wrapped your arms around me
and made me feel secure.
You clothed me.

I was sick and sometimes depressed—
especially when hormonal changes grabbed at me
physically and emotionally
And you looked after me.
And through your compassion,
and your ability not to judge me during those times,
I sensed the love of Christ.

I was in prison—
you’re aware that past insecurities
and hurtful memories revisit my thoughts,
You prayed for me and with me
and gave me the grace and space I needed,
(and sometimes a quiet hug)
until my emotions settled down enough
that I could face things
more sensibly and optimistically.
You came to me.

Jesus would say to you,
“When you did these things for your wife,
you did them for Me.”

---

If your spouse does any of the above things for you, thank the Lord for the blessings you’re experiencing and express thanks to your spouse, for their kindness in how they treat you in your marriage. Not every spouse treats their partner “as unto the Lord” and we shouldn’t take that for granted. As God’s children, giving thanks for our blessings should come natural to us.

If there are any areas of needs expressed in these paraphrases that you lack in receiving from your spouse, continue to pray your spouse will help you in these ways so the Lord will be pleased with their actions and reward them accordingly.

If either of these paraphrases challenges you as a spouse, we hope you’ll respond to the tug of the Holy Spirit and will work to make the changes in your behavior that you should.

Dr David Ferguson told in his book, Never Alone, of a time when the Lord convicted him through the Matthew 25 verses in how he treated his wife Teresa. He said,

“I realized then that I had not only robbed Teresa of the attention she needed, but I had also robbed God of attention. In a mysterious way, the Savior had actually suffered due to my neglect of Teresa. She had been wanting for attention, and I had not provided it. I sensed Christ saying, ‘I assure you, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me’.”

We pray you will minister to the Lord’s heart by meeting the needs of your spouse. Remember, everything you do for your spouse, you are doing it “as unto the Lord.”

God Bless!
Steve and Cindy Wright

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