Instructions for marriage

Wedding season seems to be upon us.  I’ve recently seen a few weddings, some that were Christ filled and others that were not so much.  I found it interesting with one that was not so Christ focused where the woman was wanting her man to be “The Man” and be more dominate in their relationship.  Now this one was part of a reality show so you saw her talking about it over and over and over again.  It left me thinking about how the Bible gives us instructions for how the household should be. 

Ephesians 5:21

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Our first instructions is to submit to one another.  Most of the time this is not what we hear.  We hear the next part:

Ephesians 5:22

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.

Yes, wives are to submit to their husbands, however it does not stop the sentence there.  It goes on to say, “as you do to the Lord.”  How can a wife submit herself to her husband if she has not submitted herself to the Lord?

Ephesians 5:23-24

For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Christ is the Savior of the church, which is why he is the head of it.  If these couples are not Christ centered, how is the husband to understand what it means to be the head?  It is through being submitted to Christ that we learn how to submit to one another.

Next week I’ll get into more instructions that we are given on how to love one another.  For this week, I want you to look around you, look at your own marriage, if you have one, look at those that you want to model a marriage after down the road.  Do those relationships seem to focus first on the instruction to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ?  If not, I encourage you to make that a focused prayer this week.  

Thursday Devotional - Selfless Surrender

As a child, if you knew you did something wrong but your parents hadn’t found out yet, did you voluntarily tell on yourself?  Or, did you try to pass it off like it was your sibling’s or someone else’s fault?  Or, did you hide in your room hoping they wouldn’t notice? J  I’m guessing most of us didn’t voluntarily tell on ourselves.  Well, Jesus did!  He didn’t do anything wrong in God’s eyes, but the jealous chief priests and Pharisees sent soldiers to arrest Him on the charge of blasphemy against God.  Jesus had escaped their arrest numerous times before, but He knew it was now God’s time for Him to be arrested. 

John 18:3-9        ³So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. ⁴Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?" ⁵"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) ⁶When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. ⁷Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." ⁸"I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go." ⁹This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave me."

As a parent, boss, spouse, friend, or co-worker, you might be shocked if someone boldly admitted their mistake without you even asking who did it!  However, would you fall to the ground?  The fact that the soldiers fell to the ground, after Jesus admitted He was who they wanted, leads me to believe the soldiers were more than shocked by his words! I wonder if Jesus was radiating the glory of God!!!  

Jesus, a few hours before, had just prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. ²For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. ³Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:1b-3)  Maybe God was allowing the disciples, soldiers, and officials to see but a piece of His glory even before Jesus’ death, resurrection, and full glorification.  Those who hadn’t yet believed were given another sign and an opportunity to believe! 

Plus, Jesus’ selfless surrender showed His love and submission to His Father, His great love for us, and His immediate concern for His disciple’s safety. 

When was the last time you and I made an excuse or blamed someone else to get out of trouble?  How will you and I selflessly live like Jesus, looking out for the best interests of those around us instead of only thinking about ourselves?

Alice

Tues Devo: Summer

Hello,

Ah, summer! The time where we try and slow down a little bit and soak up some sun! I look forward to being able to slow down some things and spend a little more time with the family either on vacation or taking advantage of the later sunlight outside. But there is a danger in the summer slowdown, and that is letting it slide into our walk with God as well. We can’t slow that down! If anything, we should take advantage of other things changing pace to spend more time with Him and seeking to deepen our relationship further.

In Philippians 3:12-14, Paul encouraged his fellow believers to not stop – to keep moving: “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (NASB) 

I challenge all of us this summer to let it be one of refreshment through growth!

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill