Psalms 16:2, 8:1, and 123:1-3

My Shepherd met me in His green pastures pondering two deeply impactful messages I heard last night from pastors Carter and Stevens. The Mind of the Spirit revealed through each of these messages engaged the spirit of my mind and drew me into communion with the Holy Ghost meditating on 1 Timothy 3:2 and Malachi 1:7-8:

1Timothy 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach

Malachi 1:7 Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.

Malachi 1:8 And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.

I had not before noticed the requirement that a Bishop be the “husband of one wife” is about more than the fact that he must not  be double married. Of course, that is the point, and it’s a carry over from the Old Testament requirement that kings must not multiply to themselves many wives; only more restrictive—one wife for life.

Along the still waters, the Spirit returned my attention to the phrase husband of. What does it mean to be a husband? The Bishop must love his wife as Christ loved the Church (Ephesians 5:25). The work of loving includes those things listed in 1 Corinthians 13:4—kind in patience, does not envy, does not lift himself above her, always maintains the decorum of a gentleman, unselfish, does not entertain evil suspicions, takes no pleasure in iniquity but rejoices in truth, and maintains a positive attitude around her. Being the husband means acting in her interests, protecting her, providing for her, and cherishing her above all others. Today, many who hold the office of Bishop think he is putting God first by subordinating his wife to his ministry, failing to understand that she is a principal responsibility of his office.

Notice that this is the first obligation named. One might say, no, it’s to be blameless. The structure of the passage sets blameless as the topical head of the list that follows, and the first thing a Bishop must not be worthy of accusation is this: he must be the husband of one wife. A Bishop must be known as a man who loves his wife.

If the Lord continues drawing my thoughts to the second message, regarding the guilt of priests who offer polluted bread upon His altar, I’ll address it tomorrow, or, perhaps during the livestream later today.

In the valley, I could not help but think of the supreme sacrifice love made on Calvary: our LORD demonstrated what it means to love one’s wife: Christ “gave himself” for His church (Ephesians 5:5; see also Galatians 1:4; 2:20; Titus 2:14).

Then my Shepherd spoke: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). No Bishop can follow Jesus who does not “love [his] wife, even as Christ also loved the church” (Ephesians 5:25; see Acts 20:28).

At the table, Christ anointed my head with His oil and filled my cup with His sufficient grace and bid me to follow His steps (1 Peter 2:21).

Praying for revival! 🙏

Going live later this afternoon. Very crowded schedule.