Category Archives: Submission

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

GODLY SUBJECTION

COLOSSIANS 3:18

“Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.”

Boy, oh boy! This is not something you hear a lot today. Women subjecting themselves to their husbands? Are you kidding me? Aren’t we all equal? If you think about it, we are all subject to someone. I am subject to my boss. I am subject to the donors who support my ministry. I am subject to my church. I am subject, most of all, to God.

Paul discusses roles and relationships in the remainder of chapter 3. These verses are almost exactly what he wrote to the Ephesians in Ephesians chapters 5 and 6. Describing biblical roles in families is not sexist. It’s not chauvinistic. It’s not biased toward one person over another. It’s just the way God planned for us to function in families and communities.

APPLICATION

Men, before you get all high and mighty about this verse, ask yourself this question. Am I a man to whom a godly woman would want to subject herself to? Paul is going to the men in the next verse, so hang on. But we men need to prepare ourselves to be “subject worthy.”

In Ephesians 5:21-24, we read this, “21 and subject yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ. 22 Wives, subject yourselves 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.”

Most any God-fearing, God-loving woman would willingly submit herself to a man who is subjecting himself to Christ. That can be trusted. That’s a man whom she can feel secure in trusting. Do you know many men like that? I do. They love God much more than they love their wives. Wives really do love that. So, wives subject yourself to that kind of man.

Father, thank You that we can subject ourselves to You.

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Bible, Peace, Rules, Scripture, Submission

LET PEACE RULE

COLOSSIANS 3:15

“Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful.”

As I write this blog, I am watching snow fall here in Knoxville. There isn’t anything much more peaceful than a slow snowfall. I know, I know – I’m a snow novice. We don’t get much here. But when it does fall, I love to sit and watch it with the gas logs burning and reading a good book.

Paul speaks of the “peace of Christ” today and says it should “rule” in our hearts. That word “rule” is the Greek word brabeuó which only occurs right here in the New Testament. Martin Luther said, “Let it be master and keep you in all tribulation.” Look at this explanation I found in another commentary. “…if the peace of Christ be your umpire ruling in your hearts, your reward is sure. ‘Let the peace of Christ act as umpire when anger, envy, and such passions arise; and restrain them.’ Let not those passions give the award, so that you should be swayed by them, but let Christ’s peace be the decider of everything.” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary)

APPLICATION

So, what does it mean for peace to rule your heart? Well, for one, you can’t blow your top in traffic, no road rage. Peace has to restrain our minds and our actions. I have seen too many church meetings that showed no sign of peace. How terrible! How dishonoring of Christ Who came to bring us peace.

I am reminded of His words in John 14:27. “‘Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.’” If Christ came to give us peace and we don’t exercise that peace, isn’t that grievous to Him? It’s a spurned gift. No one likes that.

In John 16:33 we are told by Jesus, “‘These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.’” Christ’s peace does not promise us a bed of roses. He says we will have troubles. But His peace can triumph over it all. Live in peace today.

It is well with my soul, it is well, it is well, with my soul.

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Bible, Following, Listening, Scripture, Submission

THE RIGHT SUBMISSION

COLOSSIANS 2:20

“If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,”

Submission is hard sometimes, isn’t it? I used to complain about my bosses until I learned that every authority placed over me was from God for my good. I had one boss who would take the campus pool supplies for his own home. He even took some of the Christmas toys that arrived for the campus home for his grandkids before the children got theirs. But I still had to submit to his authority as long as I worked there.

Paul questions the Colossian believers in today’s verse about their submission practices. He says, “if you have died with Christ…” In other words, their salvation and decision to follow Jesus made them exempt from any other religious requirements or the world philosophies. He says, “Don’t live like the world. You are different.”

APPLICATION

The phrase “do you submit yourself to decrees” is one Greek verb, dogmatizó. It is only used right here in Colossians 2:20. It comes from the word dogma. You know what that is, right? It is an authoritative rule or ordinance. These early believers were being coerced to follow these dogmas by others who just wanted to control them.

Guess what? That is still happening today. There are people who tell you that you have to do certain things to be saved. I won’t make a list here. You know them. Listen closely – you have been set free from these man-made requirements. Jesus tells us to repent and believe, to follow Him. That is what He requires. When you and I do that, we will so far exceed any man-made rules. We are required to be holy. Top that!

So, today simply follow Jesus. Get into His Word. Spend time with Him in prayer. Listen closely to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. That is who you submit to. No one else. When we submit to Jesus, you are free to do only what He says to do. Happy submission!

Lord, I yield to You today. Lead me and guide me in my words and in my actions.

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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.

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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.

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Abiding, Bible, Power, Scripture, Strength, Submission

STRENGTHENED INWARDLY

EPHESIANS 3:16

“that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self,”

I began walking again this summer. Why is that a big deal? Because I have pretty severe neuropathy in my feet. It can get painful at times, so I was hesitant to start walking again. I discovered something recently. The days I don’t walk my feet hurt worse. It seems the walking is stimulating the nerves in my feet in a positive way rather than causing more pain. Who would have thought that? I still have to be careful how I walk as I can trip easily since I can’t really feel my toes. But I am thankful my feet seem to be getting strengthened inwardly.

That fits our verse today. Paul explains to us that the Lord strengthens us “with power through His Spirit in the inner self.” I have never doubted that. Have you? The Greek word translated as “strengthened” is krataioó. It means “to prevail by God’s dominating strength, i.e. as His power prevails over opposition (gains mastery).” (HELPS Word studies. I was once told that when you see a Greek verb ending in “oo,” the emphasis is more about the result of the action rather than the action itself. The result of God’s prevailing power in our lives through the Holy Spirit is what Paul is talking about.

APPLICATION

In regards to the statement “in the inner man,” Albert Barnes says this, “The ‘body’ needs to be strengthened every day. In like manner the soul needs constant supplies of grace. Piety needs to be constantly invigorated, or it withers and decays. Every Christian needs grace given each day to enable him to bear trials, to resist temptation, to discharge his duty, to live a life of faith.” I need my daily Quiet Time. Without it, I wither on the vine. I need the daily nourishment.

In Romans 7:14-25, we read about Paul’s struggle with the inner man of flesh. Take a few minutes and read that passage. But we read this in verse 22, “For I joyfully agree with the law of God in the inner person,” Paul knew it was all about submission to God, to His Spirit. We can fight with our inner self and lose every time. Or we can submit our inner self to God and let His power strengthen us.

Paul also uses krataioó in 1 Corinthians 16:13, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” God will strengthen us, but we must submit, we must be on the alert, we must stand firm in the faith. Let the Lord strengthen you today as you face those giants in your life. He may just put a sling and stones in your hand.

I know any power I have to defeat sin comes from You, O Lord. 

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Bible, Following, Holy Spirit, Leading, Scripture, Submission

LED BY THE SPIRIT

GALATIANS 5:18

“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.”

There have been many decisions that I have made in my life as a believer that were not led by the Spirit. I simply chose to do what I wanted to do because I wanted to do it. Those decisions seldom if ever turned out for the best. But whenever my wife and I prayed about a matter and listened to the Spirit’s direction, things turned out better. I am not saying it was always the easiest way, but it was the better way.

Paul knew all too well the controlling power of the Law. He knew how it bound people to a rigid, unforgiving, impossible lifestyle. Once he was set free by Jesus on that Damascus road, Paul couldn’t wait to tell others about this freedom. Read Acts 9 sometime and see how Paul responded. He says in today’s verse that we are to be “led by the Spirit.” What does that mean?

APPLICATION

Being led somewhere is very different than being driven or pushed somewhere. Let me give you an example. Get a piece of string and lay it on a table so it’s straight. Now place your finger on one end of that string and push it towards the other end. What happens? The string just bunches up in a wad. Now, straighten it out again and this time, place your finger on one end and pull the string away from the other end. What happens? The rest of the string follows. That’s “being led.”

In Luke 4:1, we see Jesus being led by the Spirit. “Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness.” The Spirit doesn’t always lead us somewhere that is comfortable. He led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Jesus submitted to the Spirit in order to show Satan who was boss!

Over in Romans 8:14 Paul says, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God.” We should follow the one God has sent to dwell within us. Do you understand that the God of the universe indwells you through the Holy Spirit? That person of the trinity lives in each of us if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior. So, follow Him.

Forgive me, Lord, when I buck up and refuse to follow Your Spirit. I know He only wants what is best for me. 

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Bible, Flesh, Holy Spirit, Scripture, Submission, Walking

WALK BY THE SPIRIT

GALATIANS 5:16

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”

Walking the right way is important. When our feet are messed up, that makes it difficult. If we walk improperly, it can throw our whole gait off and affect our back. If our back is bothering us, that can affect our neck and head. And it all began with our feet not being healthy. As one who suffers from bad feet due to neuropathy, I can relate to this combination effect on my body.

Following up from his previous statement in verse 15, Paul makes a simple, yet profound truth. That little word “but” means a contrast from the previous statement is coming. Paul is about to get into a major contrast between flesh and Spirit in verses 19-23 of this chapter. Hang on to your hat. But here, he simply says to walk by the Spirit. Actually, the Greek says, “Spirit walk.” And the verb “walk” is in the present imperative, which means it’s a command to keep walking.

APPLICATION

What does it mean to walk by the Spirit? That sounds awfully churchy, doesn’t it? It really isn’t that complicated. I like what Albert Barnes says about this verse, “the only way to overcome the corrupt desires and propensities of our nature, is by submitting to the influences of the Holy Spirit. It is not by philosophy; it is not by mere resolutions to resist them; it is not by the force of education and laws; it is only by admitting into our souls the influence of religion and yielding ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God. If we live under the influences of that Spirit, we need not fear the power of the sensual and corrupt propensities of our nature.”

I read somewhere else that “If the spirit that is in us can be at ease under sin, it is not a spirit that comes from the Holy Spirit.” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary) The two cannot co-exist. There is not enough room for both to work in your life. You are either in the flesh or in the Spirit. Look what Paul says in Romans 6:8, “For the one who sows to his own flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.”

So, let me ask you – how are you walking today? Are you walking to please that old fleshly heart of yours, trampling underfoot anyone who gets in your way? Or are you submitting your will to His will and letting the Holy Spirit guide you? He will never, ever lead you astray. Every step you take under the influence of Jesus is one step closer to God. Trust that!

O Father, help me walk by the Spirit and not my flesh this day and every day.

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Bible, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Messages, Scripture, Submission, Testimony

IN CONCLUSION

GALATIANS 4:31

“So then, brothers and sisters, we are not children of a slave woman, but of the free woman.”

How many times have you heard a speaker say, “In conclusion,” and then continue speaking for another 15-30 minutes? Preachers are notorious for that (I say that as one). Sometimes, the neatest conclusion is short and sweet. We don’t need to ramble. We just need to wrap it up!  Amen?

Paul wraps up his discussion in verses 21-31 with this last statement in today’s verse. The Greek word used for “So then” is a little conjuction, dio, which could be translated “therefore” or “wherefore.” Paul closes this discussion of the free woman (Sarah) and the slave woman (Hagar) by simply saying we are free in Christ. We belong to the promise made to Abraham and Sarah.

APPLICATION

How can you wrap it up today? We do not need to be dragging things out, do we? What do I mean by that? God had given each of us a message to deliver as believers in Christ. We need to learn to deliver that message succinctly and clearly. We do not need to preach a sermon to deliver the message. Tell what Christ has done in your life. Share your story.

Take a look at Paul’s testimony, which is told three times in the book of Acts. One of those is in Acts 26. I won’t put the whole text here. You can read that for yourself in verses 2-23. The point is – Paul wasn’t bragging on himself or what he had done for Jesus. He was bragging on Jesus. That’s our testimony. In conclusion, that’s all that matters – what He has done in our life.

We all need to have those two or three stories we can tell someone about the workings of Jesus in our life. How He answered a prayer. How He met a need. How we saw His healing power in the life of a loved one. We all have those stories, but we don’t file them away for quick access. In conclusion…keep it simple. Let the Holy Spirit speak through you. He will if you and I will submit to His leading.

Lord, I know I have the tendency to ramble. Help me keep my testimony short and sweet.

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Bible, Blessing, Humility, Obedience, Scripture, Service, Submission, Works

THIS IS TOO MUCH WORK

MALACHI 1:13

“‘You also say, “See, how tiresome it is!” And you view it as trivial,’ says the LORD of armies, ‘and you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I accept it from your hand?’ says the LORD.”

I was blessed (yes, I said blessed) as a pre-teen and teenager to have some employers that were very demanding. I worked in the fields harvesting crops. I washed more cars than I could ever count at Walter Pollock and Sons. I hauled furniture for The Hand Trading company. All of these were very physically demanding. There were times I thought the work was too much. But I knew what my bosses expected, so I dug in and finished.

The Lord is accusing the priests in today’s verse of just whining and complaining. Truly, their work must have been tiring. They had to sacrifice all those animals, handle the blood and guts, burn it correctly and dispose of the ashes correctly. In Leviticus, God had laid out detailed instructions for offerings, and He expected the priests to follow them to the letter of the law.

APPLICATION

What is the “work” the Lord has called you to? Maybe you are called to serve full-time in ministry. You may be a doctor or lawyer. Perhaps you are a housewife and mom, struggling to manage the daily grind. Whatever it is, you can do this with the power of God in your life.

Are works necessary for a believer. Well James says this in James 2:20. “But are you willing to acknowledge, you foolish person, that faith without works is useless?” You really need to read more than just this one verse to understand what James in talking about. But obviously, he is telling us we need to do our work.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, “12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 each one’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work. 14 If   anyone’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only so as through fire.” Your work isn’t too much. Enjoy it for Jesus.

Father, give me the strength to work for You and show joy in the process.

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