Ephesians 5:22-24 - The Vocation of Wives

Ephesians 5:22-24 - 22 Wives, [be subject] to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself [being] the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives [ought to be] to their husbands in everything.

Message: The Vocation of Wives

Time: Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians sometime in AD 60–61, around the same time he wrote Colossians and Philemon. Ephesians deals with topics at the core of being a Christian - faith and practice, no matter the situation.

What the Lord is Saying: As I study this today, I remember what I studied and learned in the previous lesson, namely that the husband is to love his wife and be a servant to his wife. Let's face it, our country, the United States, has not done a good job being obedient to the real truths of the Bible. We have misunderstood commands. Often in our history we have focused more on the people which society views as less: the woman, the minority or black person - and in this process the man is able to have whatever power he deems necessary over these. And now it seems society is trying to swing the pendulum in the other direction. But let's face it, these words from Ephesians on these subjects have been completely misunderstood. 

So why have people been viewed as less? It seems that servants have been misunderstood. Yet, Jesus, God in flesh, says he came to serve. As we divide roles in society, we elevate some and lessen others. We do this often by how we pay people. In pay, we think someone is more valuable than another. And with men working and women at home, with the servants, do we also then devalue women. But the slave or servant still had rights and it is unfortunate what has resulted. But it is also unfortunate that in society, in general, we don't allow for differences. We don't allow for different roles and responsibilities. And so along the way much has been the source of confusion. 

It is a hard lesson here but the wife is to submit to the husband and this means the husband is to be a leader in the home. I am thankful to my wife who was taught this and recognizes this and does this. My mom modeled this so well in the home, submitting always to my father as the leader. No one did it better than my mom, but my wife also does it well. And yet this does not mean that I don't always value what my wife thinks and believes because I do. 

But submission is only does as to the Lord. The Lord would never ask us to do something that is contrary to His Word and His ways, so if a husband is asking his wife to do something contrary to scripture and the Holy Spirit's leading then the wife does not and should not submit. So this is not a carte blanche of submission. 

Summary: Wives submit to their husbands, as they would submit to the Lord, and conversely the husband is to be the Godly leader. 

Promise: Husbands are not perfect so submission may mean being led in an imperfect manner or husbands in error but not to husbands in sin. 

Prayer: Thank you God for the awesome example in my home growing up of my mom and her submission. This is a submission that I at times have had a hard time watch her do. Perhaps out of selfishness on my part because I did not want what my dad was doing, but my mom stayed faithful to him always. And thank you to my wife who also submits to me. Help me to serve her always so that she wants to submit. And lead my daughter to do the same. 

Hebrews 13:17 - Lay Duties: Obedience

Hebrews 13:17 - Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for they would be unprofitable for you. 

Message: Lay Duties: Obedience

Time: Hebrews was written to a group of Christians who had suffered in the past and were now threatened with even more suffering. They'd done well years ago, but the author of Hebrews feared that they might now turn away from Christ to avoid further persecution. The opinions on the author of Hebrews has varied.

What the Lord is Saying: After a quick read of chapter 13, it reads like a summary of encouragement to people that they need to remember to do: show hospitality to strangers (v.2), remember prisoners (v. 3), hold marriage in high view (v. 4), be free from the love of money (v. 5), imitate those who led you (v. 7), do not be carried away by strange teachings (v.9), through Jesus, continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God (v.15), don't neglect doing good (v. 16), and finally obey your leaders (v. 17). 

In verse 7 are the words Remember those who led you...imitate and now here is versus 17 is more - obey your leaders, and submit. The leaders are they who keep watch over your souls. The idea here is not simply to listen, but be ready to comply with their wishes and requests. And as we submit something happens to our leaders. It says that have joy and not grief. The greatest joy and encouragement we can give to our leaders is by doing what they ask. Boy, this is hard. It takes me out of my comfort zone because I only want to do what is comfortable. 

I admit a struggle with this at times and I think in the Church we are often quick in these latter days to offer our opinions on whether we should submit or not. Even in the reading today from Tabletalk, most of the lesson speaks of how we need to only be submitting to leaders that are preaching the word of God correctly and we have no obligation over those who do not do this. For me, this speaks to our times and the constant commentary we have on life. We would rather talk about people than be obedient to them. 

It reminds me of Proverbs 16:27 -- "A worthless man digs up evil while his words are a scorching fire." The Living Bible translates this as "Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece." Perhaps this is a different lesson, but we are too quick to disagree. It seems in our idleness we are quicker to grumble and complain. The idea in this verse is we dig up evil. We look too hard for something that may not clearly be there. 

But the encouragement from all of these verses in Hebrews including verse 7 and 17 is to remember to do these things. I even catch myself doing this. I received an email this past week stating that we need to do a good job as men to serve the women in our church by helping with oil changes. And my first thought is maybe God has something else for me to do. Rather than responding to the call, I wonder if I could do something else. Again, why is my first thought not to jump at it? But rather to wonder if I should. 

Summary: Submit to God-honoring leaders in a way that makes them glad to their jobs. 

Promise: It is easy to gripe and complain about our church leaders, but it is much harder to submit to them as God calls us to do. 

Prayer: O Lord, help me to be one that obeys first rather than does commentary first. Help me to be a person of obedience to my leaders, not simply when I agree with them and their stances. Help me to not grumble. Lord, keep encouraging me in these words to go the extra mile. 

Exodus 20:12 - Honoring Father and Mother

Exodus 20:12

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

Message: Honoring Father and Mother

Time: Most likely this book was penned by Moses. The book covers a period of approximately eighty years, from shortly before Moses’s birth (c. 1526 BC) to the events that occurred at Mount Sinai in 1446 BC. The Bible's message of redemption appears in Exodus as well: though the children of Israel were enslaved in a foreign land, God miraculously and dramatically delivered them to freedom, provided the Law, established the system of sacrifice, and gave instructions on building of His tabernacle. God began to fulfill His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

What the Lord is Saying:

The promise in this verse is what for me has stood out -- that your days may be prolonged. I remember a friend saying that if we were to truly do this command, then the rest of the commands would not be necessary. And in some ways this lays the foundation for all the other commands. 

As all of us begin life, we see that God has established authority in our lives from the beginning. And our first step is to honor our father and mother. More authorities will come in life - in school, jobs, at church, our elected officials and leaders, law enforcement, but it all begins with the command to honor our father and mother and submit to them. 

This text from Romans 13:1-7 has been looked at a lot over the last few years as we think about this virus and our response to it. 

Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

I think in these verses is a basic understanding that we are to be in subject to our authorities. Unless we are told to do something that is not in line with God's word. I think we as humans are struggling with this more and more. I have a person right now at work that ignores authority. He is asked to do something and he tells the person "no." It makes me wonder his home life and how he might have learned about authority growing up. 

As I think about this command I see that Paul repeats it in Ephesians 6:1-4 and also repeats that in following it we will live long on the earth. Maybe this phrase is meant to say that our lives will be better. I think I need to look at this as well in my life. Right, I am struggling with the authority in my life at times, not agreeing with my boss, who is about 15 or more years younger than me. I want to be autonomous because of my experience and I need to do a better job of deferring to her. I can tell as I get older and the thought that I am getting wiser that I begin to think that authority is not as important. I fall out of the shadow of my parents and think I am more on my own. 

The verse in Ephesians is also a verse for me as a parent, a parent that is a disciple of Christ and that I need to be teaching my children in the way of the Lord. I think we instilled this in our home. I am concerned that at times it was fear based but hopefully my kids through the Holy Spirit caught onto the importance of this, even now as they are living on their own. 

Summary: Parents are to rear their children in faith, teaching them to respect authority and children are to follow. God orders authority and establishes it. It begins with parents but continues in many other forms throughout our lives. 

Promise: As Tabletalk says, "Teaching children to honor their parents and other authorities is not only right according to God's law, but it is also good for society." 

Prayer: O God, you are a great God. I thank you for this new day, a new day to worship and serve you and walk with You. Lord, I thank you for the parents that you gave me and learning the importance of submission and respect. I pray that you would continue to teach me what this means and you would continue to instruct my children in this even as they are no longer under our roof. Help us all to remember that submitting to authority improves our life. Your commands are there to protect us but also to improve our lives and make life more satisfying and enjoyable. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of July is about the right use of God's Law; June was justification by faith alone; May about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God. 

Bringing me to Christ

The Restraint of the Law - the law is given for lawless, unholy, disobedient people, to restrain us from acting on our sinful thoughts. Restraint and Guilt - the law is meant to restrain Christians and non-Christians alike; so that others may see Christ. The Law's Revelation of Sin - The Law reveals sin, at times making it more desirable, and show the sin which people commit and the complete standard it expects. The Law and Our Powerlessness - We are powerless over the Law and Sin revealed. It is in Christ that we receive forgiveness and the power to resist sin. The Law our Guardian - The law is not a tool of justifying me, but rather it is an instrument to bring me to Christ and show me my need for Him. 

Guiding our Lives

The Guidance of the Law - The Law is a guide in our lives for what pleases God and what it looks like to walk in holiness. The Antinomian Error - We were slaves to sin, but now we are slaves to obedience and righteousness. Judaizing Legalism - The error of Judaizing Legalism is the idea that obedience brings about God's acceptance of us for salvation. The Deadliest Form of Legalism - This legalism is that one would get too focused on external practices instead of focusing on the heart.

The Law is our Guide

The Centrality of Love - Love and the law go hand in hand. We do not belong to God unless we love our neighbor, and we cannot love our neighbor without knowing and doing God‘s law and loving him. Finding Guidance in the Law - God's Word, all if it, is a guide to my life and I am to meditate on it continually. The One and Only God - I seek to trust and love God above all else today. Images and Idols - Pictures, statues, symbols, art, people are not bad; but be careful about placing too much emphasis on these things I see. Using God's Name Frivolously - Blasphemy or using God's name frivolously are examples of taking God's name in vain. Keeping the Lord's Day - It is vital that we are setting apart a day to gather for worship and fellowship, resting from our ordinary vocations.

Mark 16:5-7 - The Common Act of Resurrection

Mark 16:5-7
5 Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. 6 And he *said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’”

Message: The Common Act of Resurrection

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Preface - Jesus has been laid in his tomb after being crucified. Joseph of Arimathea, respected as being in the Sanhedrin council, but also who has a love for Jesus and believes in Him as Messiah, goes to Pilate to ask if he can take Jesus' body and bury it. He buys a linen to wrap him in it and does this Friday, prior to the Sabbath. The tomb he puts Jesus in is his tomb and a nice one where a stone is rolled in front. Mary Magdalene, Mary and Salome then go to Jesus on Sunday, 3 full days afterward, to anoint the body and dress it after its burial, and as they arrive there, wondering who will roll the stone away discovered it is already rolled away.

Mark records this very simply as he has done previously. His simple reporting of the events is not often what I see, but what I am seeing is he is often reporting what is around Jesus rather than the details that Jesus has done.

These 3 women - Mary Magdalene, Mary, and Salome - after seeing that the stone has been rolled away, perhaps thinking someone has already done that for them, walk into the tomb, still probably looking for Jesus. Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. Okay, something is up. They enter the tomb but instead of seeing Jesus they see a young man sitting and wearing a white robe and naturally, they are amazed. Young man in extra-biblical material often referred to a heavenly being and this conclusion would make sense here. They were amazed speaks of them being frightened. They did not have an explanation immediately for Jesus not being there and they were frightened probably, but more simply amazed.

This young man will now speak to them, he to them, "Do not be amazed; The young man or rather the angel's response to them is now that they do not need to be amazed. There fear or amazement is not the emotion that they need to have. Rather, there is an explanation - you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’” And there is the revelation of the information. Jesus is not here. He has risen. He is not here. He was here. Now, go and tell His disciples and Peter for Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee and there You will see Him as well. This is all as He said previously. He is right. Jesus had predicted this and told them 3 times that this would happen. They were walking in there thinking He would be there, but the unexpected in their eyes happened, but it was actually the expected as Jesus had predicted it.

This angel announcing that Jesus, uses the phrase He has risen. This is written in the Greek text in the passive voice to say, "He was raised." His raising was not an act of humanity, but a divine act carried out by God. God has raised him, had rescued Christ from the dead. There is a unity in this act. There is a unity in thought. Jesus, the man, Jesus, the God, in unity with the Father raising him, raises Himself from the dead. The point is this is not a mortal act, but a divine one and an act certainly in the grasp of Jesus. His going to die was voluntary for He had a task to perform and now He has risen. It is complete and in this one act is recorded skepticism for many for this act penetrates our lives and expresses not just the sacrifice.

Yes, Jesus has been sacrificed. God demanded that blood be shed. This was clear as the priests had taken animals, clean animals and sacrificed them in the temple in place of people's sins. But, now Jesus had come preaching a new message of personal repentance or personal turning from one's sins. He preached forgiveness by him, by God of people's sins and now he willingly goes to a cross, to a place and offers himself for all people. Jesus becomes the Lamb, becomes the Lamb of God, the clean lamb, the perfect Lamb, upon the cross. He dies. But, something occurs now that was not present in any animal. Something is different now with Jesus.

Sin has not simply been paid for, but now Jesus has risen. So, it is that sin has been conquered. The wrath of God has been met, but the act is no longer ever needed again because Jesus has risen. This one act will change lives forever and produce questioning among so many. Only this faith believes in the resurrection. Many will state that Jesus was a great man and lived a great life, but the act of dying and then resurrection is shuffled out of the way. But He has risen and he will present himself before the disciples and Peter shortly.

Summary - Jesus has been crucified, buried in a tomb, wrapped in linen. 3 Women go to him to anoint him and instead find the stone rolled away and a young man (an angel) sitting there and telling them to not be amazed (have no fear) that instead Jesus has risen. It is a done deal. He is back. And he will see them and others soon in Galilee. They are to go forward and tell others with and wait to see and hear from Jesus.

Promise: Jesus has done the unexpected and yet the unexpected was expected by Him. He has raised from the dead, as he told others previously it would happen.

Prayer: O Jesus, O God, you changed civilization in these moments. You changed my life. You show me a love that does not seem possible by men. We base our lives on feelings and in this act you show us that you are real, you are eternal, you are forever. And so we as your sons and daughters will also be forever. I look to You more than ever. I receive your message of love: to love You with all of my being and to love others. Keep me focused on You Lord. Keep me learning about You and what you have done. Help me be more about love. This is my mission - to love.

Mark 4:41 - Master of Wind and Sea

Mark 4:41
They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

Message: Master of Wind and Sea

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying: 

Following the feeling that the Lord did not care for them against the violent storm and the concern that they might drown and then after seeing what Jesus did in calming the storm, they now have a fear, a great fear toward Him. They are marveled. They have already seen things that are great, like removing a demon from a person and healing many people of their diseases. And yet now in this moment, they are very much afraid over him beckoning the wind and the sea to obey him. Before, with those other miracles of healing, they didn't seem to have this response, but as Jesus now controls an outside force they even ask the question, "Who then is this?" or "Who is this man?"

It seems in that moment that the disciples probably, up to this point, still felt like they were dealing with a man despite the words that Jesus had said. Jesus had already, up to this point, talked about forgiving sins. And the rabbi's in the temple had heard Jesus claim a different type of authority. Yet, those words didn't compel them to think of Jesus as being able to calm the sea and wind. So despite people seeing Jesus do other things that only God could do, they were not moved to seeing who He really is, until this moment.

There are several verses in the Old Testament that seem to speak of an authority God had over the seas:

• Psalm 69:1 - Save me, O God, for the waters have threatened my life. [This verse is hard because the request for saving could be apart from the reaction the person is having from the water or it could be connected.]
• Psalm 77:16 - The waters saw you O God; the water saw You and were in anguish, the deeps also trembled. [Here the waters have a reaction by God. The waters and see are under God's authority.]
• Isaiah 43:2 - When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. [Again, the idea here is that as you go through water and rivers, God will still be in control and He will protect you from the waters.]

The verse here about Jesus is more commanding. He actually moves and controls and reduces the movement of the sea and waters. Thus, the response from the disciples seems not surprising. It's possible that they, up to this point, had seen his works and not come to the conclusion. But, this act, was simply there to show his power. He wasn't necessarily doing any work of the Lord, other than showing them on this ship that He was in control of all.

They now know that Jesus is more than a man. He is God. Perhaps, the messages and all that they have seen up to this point now took on greater meaning, for they saw the rest of the Story. We will see as we continue through the Gospel of Mark.

Promise: Seeing Jesus as He is - the Holy God - drives us to our knees in fear. This is the God that can save us and we will submit to. All that I have thought of, up to this point, about God, I can now subscribe to Jesus as well. He is God. 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for saving me. Thank you for letting me see your authority and that you are in complete control. You are my Savior and Lord. You have saved me, forgiven me and because of You I am safe forever. You do command the sea and waves.  You have control over all in the same way God does, so you are God. Continue to help me understand these truths of You. I praise You for Your love and revealing yourself to me. 

Jesus Calling: September 17

You will not find My Peace by engaging in excessive planning: attempting to control what will happen to you in the future. That is a commonly practiced form of unbelief. When your mind spins with multiple plans, Peace may sometimes seem to be within your grasp; yet it always eludes you, but when you think you have prepared for all possibilities, something unexpected pops up and throws things into confusion.
     I did not design the human mind to figure out the future. That is beyond your capability. I crafted your mind for continual communication with Me. Bring Me all your needs, your hopes and fears. Commit everything into My care. Turn from the path of planning to the path of Peace. 

I Peter 5:6-7
English Standard Version

⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, ⁷ casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Verse Thoughts
Humbling myself means that I do not place myself above others. I am to submit myself to him and let him lift me up. If afflicted, I do not murmur; if corrected, I accept it. I wait for his timing to lift me to a high place. 

Proverbs 16:9
English Standard Version

The heart of man plans his way,
    but the Lord establishes his steps.

Verse Thoughts
Do I need to plan? Yes. Do I need to prepare? Yes. But this doesn't mean troubles and difficulties will be averted. And am I willing to change my plans, if the Lord is leading me in a new direction? 
 
Psalm 37:5
New King James Version

Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.

Verse Thoughts
Why do I commit m way to Him? Because he will, either way, he will work out my life in the way He deems appropriate, so why not start by surrendering my will to him rather than fighting with him.

My Prayer
Lord, I notice too often the world in which I live, the media often, spends much time analyzing the "what if" of life. And if I am not careful, I mirror this approach to my own life. Help me to understand how I am to prepare and plan. Speak to me Holy Spirit throughout my day to confirm His will on my life. I want to trust in You alone, Lord, even when it hurts. Thank you for caring for me and help me to not start at my circumstances to the point that I forget this.

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.