2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
This morning I am continuing to be led to discuss how to use the blessings God gives us, so as to wage successful spiritual warfare. The Lord takes us for another visit to EPH 5, this time to verses 21-33. If there is one common place for the adversary to try to strike, it is within the confines of marriage and family life. We all know the disaster that the breakdown of the family unit has been, especially as it began in the '60's in this country. Christ's teaching and that of Paul have revealed God's will in this matter to us.
To begin, our Lord makes it clear that we are not to be fighting the "battle of the sexes." This is one of the devil's favorite places to exert his will. It began with the feminist movement of the 60's, society's clumsy way to correct real inequities of the past. Like so many man-made ideas, people went too far, a major cause of an escalating divorce rate.
When Paul writes in EPH 5: 21-25, we can see that for husbands and wives to carry out their intended roles in marriage, one partner does not have to be defeated at the hands of the other. "Submit yourselves to one another because of your reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands as to the Lord. 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. And so wives must submit themselves completely to their husbands just as the church submits itself to Christ. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave His life for it." What should stand out is that a Godly marriage is not a two-party relationship, but it is a three-party one. The third party is Christ. When a wife is commanded to submit herself to her husband, it is: 1) because she is reverent to God and 2) she knows that her husband must exercise his authority in the marriage as Christ loves the church and gave His life for it. There is nothing in this passage that indicates that the wife's role in the marriage is any less important or that she is any less valuable than her husband. The same is true of him. If her husband is anything like Christ's ideal, she has nothing to worry about. When a big decision must be made, he will listen to her input, and his final authority in the decision-making will be God-led, compassionate, and loving. That is because these are the fruits of the Spirit that Christ shows in His leadership over the church. The battle of the sexes was never necessary or appropriate; it is the work of the devil.
EPH 5: 28-30, "Men ought to love their wives just as they love their own bodies. A man who loves his wife loves himself. (No one ever hates his own body. Instead, he feeds it ad takes care of it, just as Christ does the church; for we are members of His Body"). If we look at this passage, something very precious comes out of it. There is no room in this scenario for beatings, unfaithfulness, emotional abuse, or any other work of the devil. People who have healthy self-esteem have no desire to engage in evil behavior. Because Christ is an active Partner in the union, it is His example of gentleness, kindness, self-control, wisdom, and patience that each partner in the marriage would emulate. I have a perspective that comes from a person who has experienced both a bad marriage and a wonderful one. I am writing this message on the day of my 25th anniversary of marriage to Peter Johnson and Christ. Yes, I have two husbands, and it is the greatest blessing a married person can claim. I know in my heart that Christ brought Peter into my life to reclaim it from the misery of my past marriage, to show me how much He loves me, and to bring me closer to Him and the Father. Each day I continue to thank and praise Him for doing that.
EPH 5 ends with verses 31-33, "As the Scripture [GN 2: 24] says, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one.' These is a deep secret truth revealed in this Scripture, which I understand as applying to Christ and the church. But it also applies to you: every husband must love his wife as himself, and every wife must respect her husband." Upon reading this clear declaration of God's will for us in marriage, we are called upon to examine our own marriages to see how close to God's word we are living. Because we are sinners, there is always room for improvement, even in a great marriage like I'm privileged to have. It is my personal belief that our marriages should be fertile ground for faith-building. Now that I have had a marriage without God and one with God as a Partner, I can tell you the peace that Christ brings leads me to remember PHIL 4: 7 and 13 , "And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus...I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me." I know that with obedient faith in God, Christ wins and Satan loses!
PRAYER: O Lord, You inspired Paul to write 1 COR 13: 4-8, directed at the edification of the church. "Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail. Love is eternal." Those words could have only come from a loving Abba Who cares deeply about each of His children. You put up a hedge of protection for those who love and obey You. That protection keeps us from the devil's onslaughts in our marriages, family life, and lives in general. We are a grateful people for the blessings You give. You deserve not only our gratitude, but also our utmost praise for Who You are in our lives, for the always-righteous use of Your authority. PS 40: 4-5 helps us to express our feelings. "Happy are those who trust in the Lord, who do not turn to idols or join those who worship false gods. You have done many things for us, O Lord our God; there is no one like You! You have made many wonderful plans for us. I could never speak of them all-their number is so great!" PS 63: 3, "Your constant love is better than life itself, and so I will praise You." We pledge to work to make our marriages more closely conform to Your will for them, Dearest Lord. We humbly confess our sins and place at Your altar our adoration, worship, loyalty, obedience, trust, glory, honor, diligence, praise, and thanksgiving. In Christ's name, amen.
Tomorrow, I am led to write about EPH 6: 1-9, which deals with children, parents, slaves, and masters. In the meanwhile, we have a lot to think about when God challenges us to examine our marriages and our conduct as Christians. He does this not to evoke guilt, but to invite us to consider any mid-course corrections we might need to make in order to conform to the ideal given us in EPH 5: 21-33. The devil can't get a stronghold in our lives if we are willing to submit ourselves to an honest evaluation of our marriages and take the steps God commands us to take. That is how effective warfare against the enemy is waged to prevent the breakdown of the family unit and provide a happy life that engenders faith-building and a healthy place for children and grandchildren to be raised. The availability of these things is one more manifestation of the profound love that our Abba has for each of us. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn