Ephesians 5: 21 Submit
yourselves to one another because of your reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For
a husband has authority over his wife just as Christ has authority over the
church; and Christ is himself the Savior of the church, his body. 24 And
so wives must submit themselves completely to their husbands just as the church
submits itself to Christ.
25 Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave
his life for it. 26 He did this to dedicate the
church to God by his word, after making it clean by washing it in water, 27 in
order to present the church to himself in all its beauty—pure and faultless,
without spot or wrinkle or any other imperfection. 28 Men
ought to love their wives just as they love their own bodies. A man who loves
his wife loves himself. (29 None of us ever hate
our own bodies. Instead, we feed them, and take care of them, just as Christ
does the church; 30 for we are members of his
body.) 31 As the scripture says, “For this reason a
man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will
become one.” 32 There is a deep secret truth
revealed in this scripture, which I understand as applying to Christ and the
church. 33 But it also applies to you: every
husband must love his wife as himself, and every wife must respect her husband.
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Seeing my beautiful
bride walk down the aisle brought tears to my eyes and a smile to my face. I
was finally married to someone until death do us part. I never expected any
arguments, disagreements or opposite opinions, but they happened.
- I wondered how I could fix things under “my” energy.
- I questioned “my” every move and action.
- I felt lost and needed direction.
Paul addressed an
issue brought to him, namely marriage. Knowing that marriage had the curse of
inequity mentioned in Genesis, he mentions the only cure for balance and that
is JESUS.
My Observations
- JESUS wants me to love my wife as HE loved me.
- JESUS wants me to leave my parents and have my own family.
- JESUS wants me to dedicate my family to GOD by HIS word, making all clean and presented without a spot or wrinkle or any other imperfection.
Hatred cannot exist
in GOD’s marriage. I mean, the yearning for self-protection must be reduced
beneath that of loving like JESUS does. Unfortunately this is not easy. Different
styles, experiences and choices makes unity sometimes seem evasive. BUT GOD has
a remedy.
HE gave HIS only
SON as an example of true submission. JESUS never got caught up in the world’s
tactics and showed what pure love looks like. HE, being GOD, suffered insults,
never owned anything and was murdered by HIS own creation. HE said “FATHER
forgive them” out of love. I am grateful for my wife and the example JESUS
shows us and pray for continued growth in HIS love.
Challenge
- What do you notice about this passage?
- How do you think GOD brings couples into balance and back into full equality?
- If married, will you seek JESUS ways as the solution to true balance, peace and love today?
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