Category: Ephesians

In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church–for we are members of his body (Ephesians 5:28-30).

If you have ever seen me with a bowl of ice cream and a novel whilst reclining in my Daddy chair, you will have no doubt that I love myself.

Of course, not all the things that I might classify “love” are in fact healthy for me. Sometimes I pamper myself when I should exercise self-discipline. Sometimes I am overly critical when I should cut myself some slack. Sometimes I eat things that are undeniably toxic because they taste of yumminess. My self-love is imperfect as I am imperfect, and I have no doubt that my love for Cathy suffers similar flaws.

But

God isn’t calling me to perfection; he is calling me to perspective and persistence. He is calling me to love Cathy as I love myself, and not just in the big, abstract picture but in the little, everyday snapshots.

This runs counter to my flesh, so it’s going to take some time…like the rest of my life.

I’m willing.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved

Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless (Ephesians 5:26-27).

I gotta admit, I freaked out a little bit the first time I read this verse, so many moons ago. Because, well, I was reading a little too fast, and it sounded like I was personally responsible for the spiritual development of my as-yet-unmet future wife.

Then I read a little more carefully–always a good idea–and realized that Paul was expounding on what Christ has done for us, not what I was supposed to do for my bride. We are the church, and Jesus has cleansed us and made us holy and removed our sins–something I could never do for myself, let alone anyone else. This was a huge relief.

Then, my perspective changed again. It does that from time to time.

I mean, look, Paul put these words here for a reason–he wasn’t getting paid by the word.

Of course, I am not responsible for Cathy’s relationship with Christ.

But I am responsible before God for what I do to encourage her relationship with Christ.

Am I washing Cathy in the word of God? Am I bathing her in prayer, encouraging her in her walk, leading her in worship and acts of service? Am I pouring my energy into the life of my Beloved as Christ has done with me?

I’ll let those questions remain rhetorical. Probably better for everyone that way.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved

Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her… (Ephesians 5:25)

I love movies. Some of my favorites are those “One man must save his beloved from a host of evil dudes aaaand a burning building after flinging himself from a jet aircraft and diving to the depths of the Pacific where he battles terrorists and defuses a nuclear bomb with his Leatherman while clad only in cargo shorts and a Costco dad-shirt ” kind of movies. I like to imagine myself in Hero-Dude’s place. I like to think, “Yeah, I’d do that. I’d skydive without a parachute into a flaming skyscraper to save my bride. I’d go mano a mano against a dozen professional bad guys to protect the wife of my heart. I’d eat the bomb in the faint hope that my innards would save her from fiery oblivion. I’d give myself up for her…

But will I clean the kitchen? Or fix the broken desk drawer that she’s been asking about for months? Or stay awake to listen when she’s anxious and needs to talk but I need to be up at 0-dark-thirty and I desperately crave sleep…

You see, the chances are that I will not be called upon to literally die for my wife. If the need arises, I think and hope and pray that I will do so without blinking, but let’s face it–those moments are rare in the life of a middle-school teacher. But there’s more to “giving yourself up” than a one-time sacrifice that the world will see and applaud and turn into a blockbuster film starring a former Green Beret turned actor with significantly better hair and biceps and nostrils than yours.  Yes, Christ went to the Cross for his Beloved, and that was beyond anything we can imagine. But before he went to the Cross, he went to his people and he lived with them and he loved them and he served them. Nothing was beneath Jesus as he demonstrated his love. The Creator of Everything washed feet and played with children and cooked meals and…gave himself.

Can you do that today, Husband? Can you give yourself up for your wife in small ways, unseen and unpraised by the world? You stand ready to make the big sacrifice–will you make the small ones just as readily? Because I promise you this–you may not be called on to leap into danger today, but you will be called on to leap into discomfort.

Will you take the leap?

Happy Monday, Beloved.

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is head of the church, his body, of whom he is the savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so wives should submit to their husbands in everything (Eph. 5:22-24).

Oy, ve…it’s that passage.

Beloved, do you remember Monday’s post? Paul spoke of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Over the next verses, he spoke of several manifestations of that filling–speaking praise, worshipping, giving thanks, and…submitting.

Submitting to each other–that was yesterday’s verse.

And today we begin to see what that submission looks like in a godly marriage.

Ladies, you are called to submit to your husbands as an act of submission to the Lord. That is an act of trust–not trust in your husband, but trust in your God. Of course, some husbands are strong and competent and easy to follow. Others…well, sorry Cathy. Regardless of who your partner is, there will be days when submission is no easy task.

Maybe today is one of those days.

And that is your spiritual challenge, Woman of God–to trust that the Father loves you, that he knows what he’s doing, and that he’s working in your husband even as he’s working in you.

Easy for you to say, Michael–you’re a man. You’re the one who gets submitted to.

Umm…have you seen Monday’s verses?

Happy Friday, Beloved

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21).

Submission is the essence of relationship.  

Not really my favorite thing, but there it is.

When we put ourselves first, we aren’t really capable of loving anyone.  Our own desires blind us to what the other person needs and wants. When we learn to submit, to see the other person’s needs and put them ahead of our own, we take a big step in learning to love.  

Jesus provided the perfect example of submission. Without his submission to the Father, we would be forever lost. When we follow his example, we honor him and build godly relationships at the same time.

This verse leads into Paul’s famous section on submission.  Paul is going to talk about husbands and wives, parents and children, even slaves and masters.  No matter what the relationship, the principle is the same.

Put the other first.  

Don’t worry about what you need, or what you think you need, or what the world is screaming that you need.  Trust all that to God, and focus on the other person.

So, who do you need to submit to today?  Gird your loins, Beloved—this oughta be fun!

Happy Thursday

Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:19-20).

It’s time for a holiday.

I’m thinking…Thanksgiving.

Look, I know it’s the middle of July, but whaddaya say? We’ll keep it simple. Forget the big meal–it’s too hot to be in the kitchen anyway. Don’t worry about setting a fancy table or driving out to Grandma’s house or dressing the kids up in racially insensitive costumes that perpetuate stereotypes and appropriate the culture of subjugated indigenous people groups. Let’s just do the part where we actually give thanks.

As you go through your day, make a  point of noticing the blessings in your life.  Chances are there are more of them than you think. Point them out to the people around you and praise God together.  Pick your favorite worship song and get it stuck in your head. In short, fill yourself with life and light today, and give a shout out to the One who knows you completely and somehow loves you anyway.

And if you want to eat a turkey sandwich and wear shoes with a buckle, who am I to stop you?

Happy Wednesday, Beloved.

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs  (Ephesians 5:19).

I remember a Sci-Fi program once upon a time in which the heroes were trying to communicate with Mysterious Alien Race #5. They had a high-tech translator gadget thingie, but there was a problem. Although our heroes were able to understand words and phrases and even sentences, they still couldn’t make sense of the aliens’ speech. It just seemed like random names and places with no context or connection.

Then cameth the “Ah-ha” moment.

It turned out that Mysterious Alien Race #5 communicated almost entirely in metaphors. Everything they said was tied to shared stories from their cultural history. Just like if I say, “Romeo and Juliet on the balcony,” or “Julius Cesar crossing the Rubicon,” or “Fonzie jumping the shark,” I convey a wealth of meaning to those who know our socio-cultural history. It’s a very efficient way to communicate…if you know the references. Further, speaking like this binds people together in a shared culture.

This is what Paul wants us to do. He is calling us to speak to each other in the language of our faith. Let the metaphors of Truth strengthen us and draw us closer together.

It’s like being a Star Wars geek, only it’s the Bible, so it’s better.

Yes it is.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

If I could be intoxicated by Truth…

If I could let go, leave my self-consciousness behind, and be swept away…

If I could be consumed with the desire for more, no matter what it cost me…

If I could live for God the way an alcoholic lives for his next drink…

Well, now…that would be something, hmm?

Happy Monday, Beloved

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is (Eph. 5:17).

My wife, the Lovely Catherine, tells the story of seeing a church skit once upon a time. The skit involved a group of people trying to figure out God’s will in various difficult situations. From time to time, little notes would waft gently down from the rafters, telling the recipient exactly what God wanted from them.

That would be awesome.

It doesn’t work that way,

but

that would be awesome.

Beloved, may I be so bold as to say that I know God’s will for today?

Of course I may–it’s my blog.

Relationship

That’s it. God wants to know and be known by the people he has created and fed and clothed and loved and lost and redeemed at the price of his Son. Those who are far from him, he wants to draw close. Those who are near to him, he wants to draw closer still, because unlike your Great Aunt Susie with the funky perfume, you can never get too close to God.

But Michael, God’s will is more complicated than that.

No, Beloved…it isn’t. If your actions today bring you and those in your world closer to the Father, then you are in his will. If they pull you farther away from him, you are being foolish.

Don’t be foolish. Life’s tough enough without that.

Happy Friday, Beloved.

…making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  (Ephesians 5:16)

Evil is.

Make no mistake—there is evil in this world, no matter what the popular culture and the intellectual elite say.  It surrounds us, and seems to grow with each passing day.

But

You do not belong to evil.  You are not of this world. God will bring you opportunities to shine for him, to be salt and light to the people around you.

Take them.

Be on the lookout this very day for ways to serve a risen Savior in a fallen world. Pray for the vision to see the opportunity, the courage to take the chance, and the strength to bear the consequences.

It’s Thursday, Beloved.

Make it count.