So, Paul says imitate God, as beloved children and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. So, the kind of love that is being described here is unconditional love. It’s just love. And what is the crucible in our lives that forces us to form in this way, marriage. And that’s where Paul takes the discussion. So, let’s read this little section one more time, “being subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, be subject to your husbands as to the Lord for the husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the church, His body, and is Himself is Savior. Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. So as to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind, so that she may be holy and without blemish.” For centuries, for decades, for many, many, many, many, many, many, many years, this portion of Ephesians has led into many misuses and unhealthy control. And it’s usually, it’s usually aimed at our beautiful women. And so, with that in mind, because that has happened, we need to understand this is, this only works if it’s mutual. Right, or as Paul said, being subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. So, with that in mind, husbands, of which I am one, may we consider what we read in Isaiah today, that is what Jesus did for us. He desired and loved us enough to be compelled to become a sacrifice on our behalf. You are, I am to love my wife, you are to love your wife like that, as Christ loved the church. And there’s some magic in there, and I don’t mean like hocus-pocus, I mean, there’s some spirit, there’s a spiritual thing that happens here. You’re not the guy to just go out and kill the food and bring it back into the hearth, you are the guy chosen to bring Jesus to your wife. You are the hands and feet. You bring the tangible love of Jesus. This is such a big deal. It’s such a big job. It’s such a big responsibility, that we should be overwhelmed at our and need of God to help us navigate. And wives, same thing. Think about what we read in Isaiah today, that is what Jesus did for you. He loved you so much, so much that He was willing to become a sacrifice on your behalf, so that you could be free. So that you could flourish. So that you could be beautiful. You’re supposed to submit to your husband as to the Lord. That doesn’t mean you’re supposed to be abused. That’s not what Jesus did for you. We are reading of this sacrifice, and unconditional love of Jesus. That’s what He did for you. That’s the love you are supposed to be experiencing, and that is not hard to be submissive to. It’s not hard to be mutually submissive and accountable to one another when you are first and foremost accountable to Jesus, knowing that you have no hope of successfully navigating life together without Him. It’s not hard to submit to somebody who is willing to die for you. And there is no place for abuse and that we are supposed to submit to one another out of the reverence for Christ. And that means we’re to love each other with the love of Christ. And so, maybe some reevaluation, maybe some quiet moments today of just getting with the Holy Spirit and thinking of how it is that we are behaving and just divinely imagining what our lives would look like if this is how we lived. And maybe one parting shot from Paul, and I quote, “once you were in darkness and now in the Lord you are light, walk as children of light. For the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.
Prayer:
And, Holy Spirit, come. There is no greater crucible than where we were led today. Two people trying to smash their stories together into one, with all of the brokenness and wounding. All of the victory and laughter, all of it, all of the issues of life that are found in a marriage and in a family, and the instruction is to surrender to each other, to love each other the way You have loved us. We perpetually fail but it’s not as if we don’t have a standard; it’s not as if we don’t know what it should look like this. Holy Spirit, come and lead us into all truth about ourselves. We ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Prayer and Encouragements:
Hidy ho, siblings. It’s your little sis, His Little Sharie in Canada. And I wanted to call in and say a quick prayer for everyone who is looking for a place to live. I know a number of people, including my friend, Miracle Mirna, who’s applied to move to another building. She’s the one that’s dealing with the bed bug infestation, that will not go away. And then I have a friend, she’s actually my spiritual director, her name is Sherrie. And she has to move from her beautiful apartment that she’s been renting because the building is being sold. And then I know a lady named Sarah. She’s been in Canada for a few years. She came as a refugee from Egypt. She’s married now. She was able to get her hubby over to Canada and they have a baby. And now that they have a baby, they have to move because the building they’ve been in is an adult only building. So, my heart goes out to these people who need to find a place to live, and I think everywhere it’s crazy, hard to find something affordable. It’s certainly here in my city. So, Father, I just want to lift these people to You and ask that You would provide for them. And thank You that you always take care of us. And I thank You that You have a plan and that these people are in Your hands. And they can trust You. So, I pray that by Your spirit, You would empower them to trust You. Give them peace. Open up opportunities. Help them to meet the right people. Give them a place to live. Lord, You said that You make Your sheep lie down in green pastures, so please, provide those pastures, I pray. In Jesus name. Amen.
Hi, DAB family, this is Liza calling from the East Coast. I go by Philippians 4:6 on the prayer wall. As you can tell by my voice, I’m starting to feel just a little bit better. So, thank you for all your prayers about my cancer journey. I was hanging on by a prayer this week. I got so weak. I lost so much weight. I literally lost the ability to walk, so I was back in a wheelchair. And it was, I mean it was hard. I had no energy because my blood levels went down so much that I could, it was hard to just even sit up to eat. So, thank you for praying. It’s getting a little bit better every day. It’s, I feel like I’m fighting so hard just to keep going. I wanted to ask for your prayers for something a little new. I usually pray, and I usually feel like I have a lot of gratitude throughout my cancer journey. I usually skip from sadness to gratitude pretty quickly. But I kind of feel like God is really been calling me to transform and work on anger. I don’t usually feel anger but when my oncologist, a month ago decided to take me off a chemo that has been working for months and months, to one he knew wasn’t going to work, kind of as a last resort, without really asking me. My whole life changed. I stopped, I got really weak. I got more fluid, like 6 liters of fluid a week that I have to get drained instead of maybe one. And just intense pain that came back from my back, literally my whole body. And I’ve been feeling angry about it and not really processing it. And so, I would just love to pray for God to remove that anger and make sure that it’s no longer bitterness and instead transform it into something good. That I’m able to be present and accept where I’m at now and continue to be thankful. It’s been really hard and heartbreaking when someone you trust really …
Hello DAB family, this is Diana from Florida and I want to pray for Lauriann from South Carolina. We’ve prayed for you, and we will continue to pray for you after you lost your husband and the grief is just overwhelming. Dear Heavenly Father, I lift up Lauriann right now. Father God, and she, she feels this urgency, this need, this angst to love You, to know You, and to make You known, and to minister to others. Oh, Lord God. And Father, I pray that You would meet her right where she is. That it is okay that she’s still mourning the loss of her husband. And that You comfort her in the midst of her mourning. Your word says blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted, and we bring prayers to comfort Lauriann. And Lord God, I pray that as she is comforted Lord, as she is ministered to Lord, that You would strengthen her to fulfill that beautiful desire of her heart to minister unto others and to learn from You. To learn how to love. Oh Lord God, from You Jesus. I pray that Your love would be poured out all over her, like the balm of Gilead, all over her Jesus, that it would overflow, God. Overflow immensely, even in the midst of feeling these deep, intense emotions, Father God. Because of the love that she had for her husband and has for her husband still, dear God, I pray You meet her right there. In Jesus name. Amen.
Hello, this is Manita. Today is September 23rd. Thank you Brian for your words and they’re always so good to hear and very encouraging. I heard Beloved from Bakersfield asking for prayer regarding Corney. I pray that God will visit Corney. I thank God, with you, that he’s buried alive. I pray that God will visit her and may she have an experience with the Lord. So, I just wanted you to know that I’ll be praying for her, and that God will just help her get strong. God is good and He wants all of us, He wants everyone to be safe and have an experience with Him, a relationship with Him. So, I’ll be praying for Corney and your friend. You know and the family. I will also be praying for the students who lost their classmate, a 17-year-old who passed away. May God comfort their families and comfort them at this moment. I cover them in the name of Jesus. May God give them peace. So sad. Amanda, thank you for letting us know. We’ll be praying. Sandy, from Ontario, I will be praying along with you. I’m praying for Jennifer and her family and her daughter Hope, who got shot on the neck. I pray that God will revive her and show Himself strong in this family that don’t know the Lord. I pray that God will be gracious to this family, and they may find hope and salvation in Him. I love you and God bless you. Continue to pray.