Daily Devotion in Ephesians 5

Daily Nugget:
Ephesians 5 discusses a subject that bristles the hair on the back of many necks. It takes a position that has been hated and rebelled against for generations. Unfortunately, the refusal to follow God’s commandments in this area has resulted in a current divorce rate higher than 50%. Paul discusses, in Ephesians 5:21-33, submissiveness between a married man and woman.

According to Noah Webster, submitting is the “yielding or surrendering to an authority.” The first surrendering of authority discussed here is for both husband and wife to surrender to each other (Ephesians 5:21) because they have respect for God’s commandments! They are to submit to each other because God tells them to, and they should know God’s way is always best. God ordained the union between man and woman, so He certainly knows how it will work. No other way will be successful!

A wife is also to submit to her husband (Ephesians 5:22). When she is humbling herself to do so, she is doing it “unto the Lord.” What a step of faith it takes to be a wife and to trust the Lord in that way. I’m sure most women shudder at this point, thinking all kinds of situations: “What happens if I submit to him, and my husband treats me badly?”, “What happens if I let him be the authority and decision-maker and he makes wrong decisions?”, “What happens if I don’t get my say?”, and countless other scenarios.

Those situations could come true if the husband does not hold up his commitments. That is why it is important that marriage is between believers (II Corinthians 6:14). However, there are no retractions for marriage partners' bad decisions in God’s Word. No matter the spiritual status, one is still committed to holding up his part of the marriage as the Lord commands.

There are many marriage failures because couples did not adhere to God’s way, but rather try to cohabit the way “everyone else is doing it.” When failures in a marriage occur, it is usually because someone is not holding up their end of God’s commandments.

Submission in a marriage is not just the wife's responsibility. The husband also has a part in making a marriage work. His role is not just surrendering to his wife, but he is to love his wife as Christ loves His church (Ephesians 5:25) and as much as he loves his own body (vs. 28, 33). One should not want to do wrong to his own body, so he must only want to do what is right and best for his wife.

Marriage is a picture of Christ (Ephesians 5:23, 25, 27, 32) submitting His body to die for the sins of man. Jesus submitted to His Father and allowed Himself to be payment for our sins. As we submit ourselves to Christ, we should also submit ourselves to each other. God’s way works!

Today’s Thought: 
“Trust and obey!”

Words to Understand:
Circumspectly: be careful; being cautious
Savour: smell
Reprove: to correct
Whoremonger: one who is obtaining sex by paying for it; one who is involved in lewdness

Today’s Reading:
Ephesians 5
1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.
3 ¶ But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
21 ¶ Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.