The definition of a husband is "a married man in relation to how he treats and responds to his wife." The English word "husband," even though it is a basic kinship term, is not a native English word. It comes ultimately from the Old Norse word hÅ«sbōndi, meaning "master of a house." The prefix "hus" refers to "house." Band means to put on or around something to decorate or identify it or to hold a number of things together. So a "house-band" is a married man responsible for connecting and keeping together the whole family. A house-band makes himself a sacrificial band around the marital relationship, responsible for its protection. A married man becomes a house-band by acquiring specific knowledge associated to being a Godly husband found in the word of God, acquiring and applying the skills and tools associated with the acquired knowledge and having a desire to apply the knowledge, skills and tools he has acquired on a daily basis as he submits to God’s provisions pertaining to biblical marriage. This allows a man to become a husband. “Above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:14 (ESV) Did you marry someone because of love? Love should not be the primary reason you marry. You should enter into a marital covenant for a “shared purpose” using both love and respect as tools to sustain the marriage. Love is a tool you must use to bind or hold together a marital relationship. Love was not designed to be the deciding factor whether to marry or not to marry. Marriage was designed and created by God to fulfill a special purpose, to achieve something greater than what you can accomplish alone. Our society and the media have misrepresented the institution of marriage. Many people feel that love is the primary reason to marry, but such ‘love’ in many circumstances is often confused with infatuation or lust [eros]. Couples tend to become sexually involved prior to marriage and the act of sex distorts their emotions. Many couples get married with no “shared purpose” in mind, but were heavily infatuated or sexually involved with one another. When these things wear off, so does the foundation of their relationship. You often hear people say, “We fell out of love”. Many couples after only a few years of marriage don’t see the purpose of staying together. This is because there was no purpose to begin with. Love must be demonstrated through your actions. Love is a choice. Love is used as a tool to make sure a husband and wife stay together so that the “shared purpose” ordained by God is fulfilled in the marriage. If one person were to leave the relationship because of the lack of agape love and respect, the couple’s “shared purpose” would be in jeopardy of not being fulfilled. Love + Respect = Unconditional Service. Marriage is the byproduct when a man or woman makes a choice to unconditionally serve their spouse for a “shared purpose.” As they function as a couple to achieve this “shared purpose,” they must operate in love “which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”