Monthly Archives: September 2024

Bible, Blameless, Bride, Church, Holy, Scripture

HIS BRIDE

EPHESIANS 5:27

“that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”

I’ll never forget the scene of my lovely bride walking down the aisle of the church on December 7, 1985. What a sight for a young man to behold. As the music played and the people stood, all eyes were on her as she slowly walked the aisle with her dad. That was almost 39 years ago. Wow! But she still has my eye. She still is my beautiful bride and the one I am pledged to.

In this verse, Paul jumps headlong into a description of Christ’s bride, the church. He has been comparing our earthly marriages to this for the past few verses, but now all attention is on this holy union. The original Greek emphasizes this presentation a little more. It literally says, “that He Himself might present to Himself.” It is Christ Who will cleanse the church in preparation for her presentation.

APPLICATION

In Revelation 19:7-9, we read, “7 ‘Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.’ 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, ‘Write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”’ And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God.’” One day, His bride (the church) will be united with her bridegroom (Jesus). All eyes in heaven will be on her at this marriage supper in heaven.

Right now, we can’t say the church is without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. We are a flawed church full of flawed people. The Father knows that, so He is perfecting us so that we will be presentable to His Son. That perfecting can be painful at times as He drives the sin and corruption out. We are being purified for that holy day in heaven.

Let me ask you this – are you ready, as part of the church, to be presented to the bridegroom? Have you purified yourself? Are you free of spot or wrinkle? Work on your marriage gown. Make yourself presentable for the Holy One in heaven. We will never reach perfection here on earth, but we should strive to make ourselves ready for the marriage feast. I’m getting dressed. How about you?

Father, I cannot wait to behold that wonderful, glorious day that is described in Your Word.

Standard
Bible, Husbands, Sanctification, Scripture, Washing, Wives

A GOOD WASHING

EPHESIANS 5:26

“so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”

Way back in 1985, I made my second trip to Liberia. I was still in my first year of marriage and my wife was pregnant with our first child. When I returned from two weeks in Africa, having been back in the bush, I had a unique smell. To put it bluntly, I stunk. With my wife’s heightened sense of smell due to her pregnancy, something had to happen quick. I scrubbed and scrubbed until I finally got rid of the smell. Most of my clothes were thrown away, lol.

Paul is not saying that the wives stink so their husbands must give them a good washing. Instead, this cleansing, this washing was a sanctification process. Paul uses a similar phrase in Titus 3:5. “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,” So, Paul is saying in today’s verse that the man’s primary goal should be the salvation and sanctification of his wife, just as Christ did for the church.

APPLICATION

I love 1 Corinthians 6:11 which says, “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” This is what the godly husband desires for his wife. His goal is not control and power. His goal is to see his wife become more like Jesus. To follow up from yesterday’s verse, that is real love.

In John 17:17-19, Jesus talks about our sanctification. He is praying to His Father and says, “‘17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. 18 Just as You sent Me into the world, I also sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, so that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.” A godly husband will use the Word to lead his wife toward her sanctification.

Husbands, how do you want your wife to smell? I want mine to smell more like Jesus. Nothing thrills my heart more than to see her studying the Word. She loves to read out loud to herself. Sometimes, I will stop out of her sight and just listen. Then I lift a prayer to our Father and thank Him for her desire to know Him more fully. Husbands, wash your wife with the Word and lead her to a fuller sanctification.

Father, I thank You for the honor of leading my wife and loving her as You do.

Standard
Bible, Husbands, Love, Scripture, Wives

LOVE Y0UR WIVES

EPHESIANS 5:25

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,”

Awww! Love is a many splendid thing! Right? We fall into love. What does that mean? People say, “He is head over heels in love with her.” What does that mean? Well, I don’t have a perfect definition for it. I do know I fell for my wife pretty quickly. But our love was not the romantic, movie style love. It was a love given to us by the Lord for each other. That is much deeper than the highly emotional one we see so much of on tv and in the movies. I love my wife because first of all she loves Jesus.

This verse is one of the Every Man A Warrior memory verses. I have probably recited this verse a few hundred times in the past nine years. But not until I did a Quiet Time on this verse did it hit me what Paul was really saying. I have to love my wife as Jesus did the church. He was dying for what the church would become after His death. I am to love my wife for what she is to be in Christ after I die to myself.

APPLICATION

I want to give you a weblink you can go to and read some of the commentaries on this verse. It is:

https://biblehub.com/commentaries/ephesians/5-25.htm

Especially, scroll down and read Barnes’ commentary. He gives some great analysis of this verse and the responsibility of the husband to his wife.

Let me just say, if a husband does this right, there will be no problem for his wife to submit herself to him. If he doesn’t, therein lies the rub. In 1 Peter 3:7 (another EMAW memory verse) we read, “You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” That’s loving your wife.

Loving your wife, men, means sacrificing your own desires to please her. I love to hunt and fish, but I have learned to ask my wife’s permission to plan those events. The time I spend doing those things which I love is time away from her and our home. Some men may say, “Well she knew I did that stuff before she married me.” Good luck with that. I want to honor my wife and by doing that, I am loving her well.

Father, let Your love flow through me to my wife. Let her see Jesus in me.

Standard
Bible, Everything, Faith, Faithfulness, Scripture, Trust

IN EVERYTHING?

EPHESIANS 5:24

“But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.”

What does “everything” mean to you? Carl, that’s an easy one. It means everything. You think so? When I think of that word, I think of complete, whole, nothing lacking. We are told all through Scripture that we should give thanks to God in everything. Really? Does that include the good and the bad? Yep! That’s hard to do, isn’t it? So is the use of the word in today’s verse. Take a look.

Paul is still discussing the women’s responsibility to subject themselves to their husbands. Now he says they should do that in everything. Does that mean no matter what it is? Look at how Gill’s Exposition describes this. It says “everything” means in “political, domestic, and ecclesiastic; that is consistent with the laws of God, and the Gospel of Christ.” Ah, there we go. God does not expect a wife to submit to her husband if it requires going against the laws of God.

APPLICATION

What do I mean by that? Perhaps the husband wants to get his wife to go along with deception. Take a look at Acts 5:1-2. “1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and kept back some of the proceeds for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet.” Remember this story? What happened? Because of his deception, he was struck dead by God. And then later, this happens when the wife also lied to Peter. “And immediately she collapsed at his feet and died; and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.”

God does not expect a wife to subject herself to ungodly practices if her husband is demanding it. Instead, He expects her to obey Him first and foremost. By doing that, God will honor her. Perhaps her obedience to the Lord will win her husband to Christ. When she obeys, she can be the light he needs to see Jesus.

Unfortunately, that is not always the case. A husband can make his wife miserable if she refuses to follow his lead. For all you wives out there facing such a trial, remain faithful. The Lord sees you. He knows your struggle. He will come to your aid. I know you are probably thinking, Carl, you don’t know my husband. True, but I know our God. In your hard times, trust Him in everything.

Father, it is easy to trust in the good times, but it is hard when everything seems to be against us. Help my faith.

Standard
Bible, Family, Husbands, Scripture, Subjection, Submission, Wives

THERE’S AN ORDER TO IT

EPHESIANS 5:23

“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.”

I like order. I like things in their place. I probably got that from my dad. He had a shop in the back of our house. In that shop was all kind of tools, wood, screws, nuts and bolts and a lot of other stuff he had collected over the years. But in that shop everything had its place.

God has an order to things, as we began to see in yesterday’s blog (check it out if you missed it). Father – Son (Jesus) – Husband – Wife. The Greek word for “head” used here means lord or ruler. Just as Jesus followed the lead of the Father, husbands are to follow Jesus, and the wife is to follow her husband. Again, as I said yesterday, this is God’s design, not mine. There is a purpose for everything God does, including the design for the home.

APPLICATION

Christ came to lead the church, to be the head of the church, but He was also the Savior of the body. He gave Himself freely to die on a cross for each and every believer. In the same way, husbands are to sacrifice themselves for their wives. Then and only then will the wives follow them and subject themselves. When a wife sees her husband making sacrifices for her, she is drawn to that. Some men sacrifice their hobbies (hunting, fishing, golfing) in order to spend more time with their wives and children. God will honor him for that sacrifice.

The “lordship” the husband has over his wife is never meant to be one of abuse or disadvantage. No, this lordship is only meant to show he is in control of himself and his family. His role as protector and priest of his household is key to the wife’s willingness to subject herself to his leadership. Remember, the comparison is to Christ. What an example!

Paul will continue his statements about the family for several verses. I would encourage you to read those verses (5:22-6:1) several times and ask the Lord what He would have you learn from His plan for the family. If your family does not look like these verses, pray and ask the Father what you need to do.

O Lord, help me be the husband/wife I need to be for my spouse.

Standard
Bible, Family, God's Will, Husbands, Marriage, Scripture, Wives

WIVES AND THEIR HUSBANDS

EPHESIANS 5:22

“Wives, subject yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord.”

Ephesians 5:22-6:4 is a well-known passage about the roles of a family (wife, husband, child, father). I want to begin by saying that these are God’s words given to Paul through the Holy Spirit to pen for the Ephesians and future generations. You may not like all that is written here. Many people don’t. They claim these thoughts are outdated or irrelevant for today. But do I need to remind you that every single word in the Bible is inspired by God and is profitable? (2 Timothy 3:16-17) So, don’t get mad at me for what Paul is saying. Don’t get mad at Paul. He was just the messenger. Take it up with God.

Paul starts out these verses on family by instructing the wife. I mentioned in yesterday’s blog on 5:21 that some people don’t like the thought of women submitting or subjecting themselves to a man. Go back and read that blog for a further description about that word “subject.” I am not going to rehearse that thought today. Instead, I want you to look at some other verses God gives us on today’s subject. Before we do that, look at the last four words of today’s verse – “as to the Lord.” That is the parameter for the woman’s submission.

APPLICATION

I want to start this application with a quote from Barnes about this verse. Hang with me. It’s kind of long, but I think it is a great view of the text. “Where commands begin ‘in this relation,’ happiness usually ends; and the moment a husband ‘requires’ a wife to do anything, it is usually a signal of departing or departed affection and peace. When there are proper feelings in both parties in this relation there will be no occasion either to command or to obey. There should be such mutual love and confidence, that the known ‘wish’ of the husband should be a law to the wife: and that the known desires of the wife should be the rule which he would approve. A perfect government is that where the known wish of the lawgiver is a sufficient rule to the subject. Such is the government of heaven; and a family on earth should approximate as nearly as possible to that.”

That was pretty good, huh? It’s a mutual thing when it is done as the Lord commands. In 1 Corinthians 11:3, we read this, “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.” The Lord gives us clear roles in family. They are not to be ignored, for when they are, chaos rules. For more on this, read verses 4-12 in 1 Corinthians 11.

The Lord spoke through Peter on this subject as well. In 1 Peter 3:1 it says, “In the same way, you wives, be subject to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won over without a word by the behavior of their wives,.” The wife’s submission to her husband can be used by the Lord to win over an unbelieving husband.

Over in Titus 2:3-5, Paul gives these instructions to Titus for the church. “3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 so that they may encourage the young to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”

I could go on and give you more passages on this subject of wives’ submission to their husbands, but I think you have the picture now. I encourage you to search the Scriptures yourself if you have doubts. Let the Lord correct you, not me. Do it all as to the Lord.

Father, I thank You for wives everywhere who see the benefits and rewards of following Your plan for the home.

Standard
Bible, Humility, Scripture, Subjection, Submission

SUBJECT YOURSELVES

EPHESIANS 5:21

“and subject yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.”

No one likes to submit to someone else. I have this image in my head of childhood wrestling matches and getting pinned by someone. They might have my arm behind my back or have put me in some other uncomfortable position and asked me to say “uncle,” which meant I was submitting to them. No one wants to be in that position. Now, get that image completely out of your head, because that is not what is meant in today’s verse.

Paul uses the word hupotassó which means “to subordinate; reflexively, to obey — be under obedience (obedient), put under, subdue unto, (be, make) subject (to, unto), be (put) in subjection (to, under), submit self unto.” (Strong’s Concordance). It is not a negative word. It is actually quite positive. We place ourselves up under someone willingly trusting they are looking out for us.

APPLICATION

The verse that really goads some people is Colossians 3:18. “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” Because of so much domestic violence, women are reluctant to accept this command from God’s Word. “Subjection” does not mean door mat. God never intended men to treat women disrespectfully. In fact, just the opposite. He told men to love their wives as Christ loved the church. He died for it.

In 1 Peter 5:5, there is another verse that disturbs people, this time the younger generation. “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT HE GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” Our younger generation today does not seem to want to submit or subject themselves to anyone, yet it is a command of the Lord.

Unless you accept your submission to God, unless you subject yourself to His will, you will never submit yourself to another person. But through your humility and willingness to serve another, you can learn to be subject. Try it today. Choose to submit. This honors our Father in heaven.

Father, thank You for allowing me to submit to Your leadership. Help me submit to those in authority over me.

Standard
Bible, Family, Prayer, Scripture, Thanksgiving

GIVE THANKS FOR ALL

EPHESIANS 5:20

“always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father;”

Here in the U.S., we are coming into the season of the year when we give thanks for our blessings. We even have a holiday called Thanksgiving Day when families and friends gather together for a huge feast. We don’t just stuff the turkey. We stuff ourselves, lol. You may go around your table and give thanks for each one sitting there. You may ask each person to share one thing for which they are grateful. We are thankful for a lot of things.

Paul is really continuing the thought from the previous few verses. Many scholars think the thought here is not about “things” but rather people. That seems to flow from the context. The Liturgy of the Episcopal church says, “We, thine unworthy servants, do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for thy goodness and loving-kindness to us, and to all men.” 1 Timothy 2:1 expresses a similar thought. “First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people,”

APPLICATION

So, instead of asking what are you thankful for, ask who are you thankful for. That’s easy for me. I am thankful for my family – for my wife, children, grandchildren, siblings, in-laws, uncles, aunts and cousins. I am thankful for men who have poured into me and friends who hold me accountable and encourage me in my walk.

Here’s a great verse for you on thanks. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” If you have ever struggled knowing God’s will for your life, here’s the answer. Just give thanks. That pleases Him. In fact, He wills it.

I love how Paul tells the Philippians how thankful he is for them. In Philippians 1:3-4 he says, “3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,” Paul not only gives thanks for them, but he also prays for them. We all need to practice that daily. Will you join me? Think of some people right now for whom you are thankful and gives thanks and lift them in prayer.

Father, today I am thankful for my wife. Will you fill her day with joy?

Standard
Bible, Scripture, Singing, Worship

SING A SONG

EPHESIANS 5:19

“speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord;”

I have been singing in choirs since @ 1975. That’s almost 50 years. I have sung in youth choirs and ensembles, college choirs, barbershop quartets and choruses, church choirs, praise teams, quartets and solos. I love to sing. Since moving to Knoxville back in March of this year, I have been relegated to being a part of the congregational singing. I have enjoyed that. I even break out in song some mornings on my morning walks as I listen to praise songs. I am sure my neighbors love that at 5:30 a.m. lol

Paul knew the importance of singing praises with other believers. He lists “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” in today’s verse. I don’t think the type of song was as important as “singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord.” Paul didn’t say that only the gifted musicians should sing. This command was given to all believers. You may be the most tone deaf person in the crowd, but the Lord takes pleasure when you sing to Him.

APPLICATION

The psalms were literally Scripture set to music. These psalms were sung in the temple and in the early church. They speak of God’s love, protection, and redemption. David wrote between 73 and 80 of the psalms in our Old Testament. Some of the psalms give instructions to sing with a musical instrument. There is just something about singing the words of God in worship.

I love the hymns. Unfortunately, many churches have disregarded the hymns in favor of more contemporary songs. I am not writing this to start a debate about hymns. I am simply pointing out that Paul saw the value in singing hymns. HELPS Word studies says this about this word. “Hýmnos (“hymns”) is used only of praising the triune God, manifested in the flesh in Jesus Christ, the God-man. It occurs twice in the NT (Eph 5:19; Col 3:16), pointing to well-known songs of praise to God that became established hymns for the early Christians.”

And what are these “spiritual songs” Paul references? These are more spontaneous songs of praise to God. I love what it says in Revelation 5:9-10. “9 And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slaughtered, and You purchased people for God with Your blood from every tribe, language, people, and nation. 10 You have made them into a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.’”

Whatever and however you choose to sing, make it a celebration of our one true God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Just sing!

I love to sing unto You, O God, my Rock and Salvation!

Standard
Bible, Drunkenness, Filled, Holy Spirit, Scripture

FILLED WITH THE RIGHT STUFF

EPHESIANS 5:18

“And do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,” 

Context is always important. Whether we are talking about conversations or studying Scripture, context can determine everything. For instance, I can use the word “read” but pronounce it two different ways. I read the paper yesterday or I will read the paper tomorrow. The context of the sentence determines the pronunciation of the word. Okay Carl, enough with the grammar lesson. Hang on. You will see my point.

In today’s verse, we see Paul telling the Ephesians to not get drunk because it is debauchery. This verse is used often to preach against the drinking of anything alcoholic. I am not going to talk about that. You have to remember the context of Paul’s letter. He has been talking about shedding all past ungodly behaviors and walking in God’s will, which we know is always to be filled with the Spirit. So, rest easy. This is not a devotion about drinking. Rather, it is a devotion about being filled with His Spirit.

APPLICATION

In the time Paul was writing there was a false god which the pagans worshipped which involved drinking until you were intoxicated. In fact, it is the same god that the Olympic Committee claimed was being portrayed in the opening ceremonies this year. His name was Bacchus. Bensons’ Commentary says this about this worship festival. “Plato tells us, that there was hardly a sober person to be found in the whole Attican territories during the continuance of these detestable feasts.” Debauchery! Riotous living! In fact, the adverb form of this Greek word for “debauchery” is used in Luke 15:13 to describe the prodigal son’s lifestyle. “And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered his estate in wild living.”

Paul tells the Ephesians to avoid all that and instead concentrate on living their lives full of the Holy Spirit.  The Greek word used here for “be filled” could be better translated (I think) as “keep being filled” because it is a Present Imperative Middle/Passive verb. The Middle voice means you do the action yourself while the Passive voice means the action is done to you.

Hang on, don’t let me lose you. We have to allow the Holy Spirit to live through us. He will not force Himself on us. Therefore, the middle voice. But only He can do the filling – thus the passive voice. I am not Greek scholar, but I believe this verb could be either. The question is this – Do you want to be filled with His Spirit continually and live that out daily? If you do, the Lord is more than willing and more than capable to fill you to overflowing.

Now I’m filled to overflowing. I don’t mind the whole world knowing that I’m filled to overflowing.

Standard