Isaiah - Verse By Verse

Thought:  To me, husbands have a great privilege in being called to emulate Christ's love (for His church) to their wives.

Question:  Do I give a Christ-like love in my marriage?

Scripture:  Ephesians 5:25 (NIV):  "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her"

Unity has been our byword in this chapter.  Certainly the societal base for foundational unity is the family, and the root beginning of each family, the husband and wife.  Wives have been first admonished to practice submission, I believe, so that, like the Trinity, there can still be one authority Who is Leader.  The others follow.  This is not to diminish their importance or necessity.  (Obviously Christ is very important to the Trinity, as well as the Holy Spirit.)  Husbands, upon having a submission in their wives, are enjoined to love them.  Am I saying husbands should love only conditionally; that is, when their wives have submitted?  No.  Christ certainly does not do that with us.  He loved us "while we were yet sinning."  But the picture Christ represents in His own submission makes us realize how vital submission is to the whole picture, the whole effectiveness of His love.  Could Christ have rightly loved us while being unsubmissive to His Father?  Can husbands thoroughly love their wives if those wives are unsubmissive?  Certainly unsubmissiveness, or personal rebelliousness, hinders the effectiveness of love.

Nevertheless, whether submissive or unsubmissive, good or bad, pretty or ugly, husbands should love their wives.  They are to love them "just as Christ loved the church."  What a tapestry of illustration men have in Christ's treatment of the church as a model of love for their wives!  Since "the church" consists of people--people connected by believing faith to Christ--we can learn so much from all of Christ's loving ways from every relationshipo He had with any person and all persons.  What are some of these "loving ways"?

First, I believe in Christ's life, we always see a I Corinthians 13 type of love shown:  always kind, ever gentle, never forceful, etc.  Second, we see, in Christ's dying, the total sacrificial quality of Christ's love.  He gave His life, His all, for the church.  Why?  To rescue it, save it, redeem it, restore it and present it spotless to The Father.  This is a far-reaching love, a love that "never fails", a love that wins, bringing souls to salvation, NO MATTER WHAT.  It is a love that cares to see the loved one made pure and acceptable to God.  Christ wants that, yearns for us to have that, and husbands ought to carry that same deep care for their wives--as though responsible for their spiritual welfare.  Husbands should be leaders if they are commanded to be lovers, and wives should be followers if they are commanded to be submitters.  Leaders ought always to be heavily concerned for the welfare of those they lead.  Where am I leading that one?  Into good?  Astray?  Toward help?  Away from help?  The leader is responsible.

Christ died so that the church could live.  He "gave Himself up for her."  He traded away His life into death so that the church, dead in sins, could rediscover life.  Husband, do you love your wife that way?

Prayer:  Father of Love, help Christian husbands to want to copy the lovingkindnesses of Christ in their marriages.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, a good Christian marriage will look to Christ every day as guide and role model.

Question:  Do I depend on Christ in all my human relationships?

Scripture:  Ephesians 5:24 (NIV):  "Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything."

Here we have a more specific guideline as to what submission acts like.  "As the church submits to Christ" becomes a wife's model.  How has the church submitted to Christ?  (Well, in many cases not very well at all!!  And by observing the wayward churches, we women can learn how not to act with our husbands!)  But in those successful New Testament church models we can observe the code of success:  1)  Let Christ be head, that is, the obvious Ruler in all aspects.  "What would Jesus Do?"  can be a rough-cut guide.  If a church asks this at every point of decision they ought to remain dependent and in line with The Spirit.  If a wife also asks the same question at every turn in her marital relationship, she should find success with her husband.  Hence the words of Paul's at the end of this verse, "in everything."  Nothing falls outside of Christ's jurisdiction and neither should anything be decided outside or without the husband's approval.  Now, his choice may be that he will want to delegate responsibility to you and not have to be involved.  That's fine.  To submit would be, in my mind, to obey his wishes in that way.  2)  Keep Christ as head by depending on Him.  Dependency is a beautiful thing in Christianity and should be evident in marriage.  When a church seems to manage on its own it has probably forsaken the Lordship of Christ and chosen rather, in self-sufficiency, to lean on programming, secular interests, numbers, buildings, popularity, etc., rather than simply leaning on Jesus.  Leaning on Jesus provides a chance to learn all kinds of unexpected things!  We never know where He may lead us but we can be so secure as long as we are WITH HIM!  The where becomes secondary to the Who, along with the what, the how and the when!  So in marriage.  We commit to a "who"--to one man or woman.  Where we may end up, or in what circumstances (richer, poorer, sick, healthy, etc.) we find ourselves, become secondary to remaining loyal and dependent to that "who".  We are happier in this state of dependency though we may not think we could be.  We are happier, even when assaulted by all kinds of adversities, because God created us to be dependent.  Acting independently short-circuits the relationship we were made to have with God.  And to be out of relationship with God is an instant guarantee of unhappiness.  So also in marriage.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, help believing husbands and wives to follow in the steps of Jesus Christ as they relate one to another.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, marriages ought to symbolize the headship of Christ over His church body, with the husband as head and the wife as body.

Question:  Do I appreciate the sacredness of marriage?

Scripture:  Ephesians 5:23 (NIV):  "For the husband is head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior."

This is why we are to submit:  it is because the husband symbolizes the headship of Jesus Christ.  Remember our Ephesians theme?  It is to be "in Christ."  All true marriage is "in Christ", or ought to be.  Marriage was ordained by God, so God ought to be not only in it, but over it entirely.  So submission is totally natural because it exemplifies how Christ related to His Father.  As the church is Christ's body, so the wife is the husband's body.  As Christ is the head or authority and Savior over the church, so the husband is the head or authority and "Savior" (protector, breadwinner), over the wife.  Now, in my opinion, we humans do not live out nearly as beautifully the glory of Christ's headship over the church in our marriages!  We fail and stumble and struggle; but God has set this symbolism upon us.  We may be completely unworthy, yet He set the glory of salvation upon us "while we were yet sinning."  One day the hidden beauty of the mystery of the symbolism of marriage, Christ's headship over the church, and the glorification of our human, sinful flesh finally freed in glory, will be what God intended them to be.  Today there is some glory--all that we yield to God--but after glorification there will be complete and utter GLORY!  What a Day that will be!  The Day our Savior's salvation will become complete.  On that Day we will see the full glory of what is symbolized in our earthly marriages.

Therefore our submission as wives is a very high and holy calling.  It is not something done only for the present circumstances, to make things smoother on earth, but is an eternal investment, (as is everything done for Christ), and contributes to His Great Glory Forever.

Prayer:  Father God, point all believers to the truth of what makes a good and sacred marriage, that they may glorify Your Son with their spouses.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, the lesson of submission is a priceless one--shown to us dynamically through Christ's submission to His Father.

Question:  Have I learned how to submit to another?

Scripture:  Ephesians 5:22 (NIV):  "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord."

To live as "children of light", chapter 5 verse 8, Paul has exhorted many things, giving many do's and don'ts.  Verse 21 introduced the topic of Christian submission.  His teaching on submission here is very practical.  Family life is now addressed, and the first to be instructed are the women.  Why are they first?  (Ladies first!!)  I believe the spirit of a wife's submission may encourage and stimulate her husband's leadership.  I feel that learning to submit to authority is a first lesson to becoming a good leader and to inspiring a good leader.  Some husbands, however, may try to lead without ever having learned how to submit themselves to God (or others).  This, to me, makes for a "failed" leader--a leader who may tyrannize rather than empathize.  Wives can accomplish so much when they first submit, even instructing that kind of husband, by submissive example, to act like Christ.

Wibes are to submit, or become subject to, their own husbands only, not other men.  They are to be subject to their own husbands "as to the Lord."  From other scriptures, including Colossians 3:18 and descriptions of Sarah's submission in I Peter, we learn that this means we are to fulfill a role that is exemplified by Christ Who submitted to His Father.  There is authority over women.  That authority is the man they marry and he is placed over them by God.  I Peter also allows for the fact that these men could very well be "froward"  (King James version), or "perverse", that is, not trmendously idyllic!  Nevertheless, and as modelled by Christ's submission to Roman soldiers, etc., we are to submit, perhaps even to our own hurt.  In Christ's example there is much purpose, much good accomplished, through His hurt.  All Christians, not just women, are taught to enter "the fellowship of His sufferings."  There is so much to learn there!!

Submitting "as to the Lord" allows us to begin to learn the huge and wonderful lessons of submission.  There is a lot of beauty in yieldedness.  It immediately makes a statement about us that we are willing to put ourselves in second place.  This is the heart of Christianity and of God Himself Who allowed Himself to be killed in order to redeem the world.  God submitted His own standards to "second place" for a time when He extended love to us "while we were yet sinning."  Submission is a vital aspect of our faith.  All Christians should learn it, but wives are especially blessed to be required to learn it first in the family.

To submit to a man, your husband, "as to the Lord", is a continual learning process.  We know the husband is totally fallible, yet we obey this command because it is the Lord's command.  We submit, therefore, more because it is the Lord's command than that our man is worthy of being head.  We first submit to God, really, then to our husband because of God.  It requires trust.  Trust in God; trust that God knows the whole situation and every soul involved and has our best interest at heart.  So, just as I have entrusted my soul and life to God, I can entrust myself equally well under the authority of this husband God has given to be over me.

Prayer:  Sovereign Father, help Christians all over the world to learn the valuable lesson of Christ-like submission.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, until a person has learned how to submit to Christ, he will never make an effective or competent leader.

Question:  Do I demonstrate a respect for Christ in how I relate to others?

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

Paul has been instructing Christians in unity and holy living.  The latest verses have focused on spirit-filled behaviors; singing and thanking.  Now we see also that a spirit-filled Christian is a submissive Christian.

If you are constantly thankful, constantly singing inside, you have become aware of God's abiding presence.  If God is always present then He also "comes" to us via others who cross our path.  We ought to treat every meeting with another human being, and especially other Christians, as an encounter with God; and thus it becomes easier to "submit to one another."

Paul also says we should submit (which means become subject to) "out of reverence for Christ."  To me, this means that if Jesus died for someone, then they are worth being subject to.  Now, Jesus died for the worst sinners among us.  Am I saying we should give in to all evil peoples' wishes?  Of course not.  I think we ought to, however, value anyone as able to both be redeemed by God out of evil, and be used by God in evil, in connection with me, and therefore as someone to be potentially subject to.  We need to be ready and willing to submit to them as God may indicate in a given instance while being consciously led by the Holy Spirit.

Christ subjected Himself to Roman soldiers unto death.  He did so because He clearly understood it to be His Father's will.  He is our Example, then, as well as our Teacher in these matters.  We reverence Him when we see His example and honor it in our own life.

Prayer:  Lord, help me to remember the reason I should submit to others:  it is because I revere Jesus Christ and His examples of submission.  Father, I want to be like Jesus!  Amen.

Thought:  To me, thankfulness is a very deep quality.  It has to be if we thank God for "everything"!

Question:  Have I thanked God today--even in the midst of problems?

Scripture:  Ephesians 5:20 (NIV):  "always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

(This verse is really a connected extension of verse 19.  Our spiritual music is to spring out as thanksgiving at all times.  To me, all "good" worship of God is bathed in gratefulness.)

Is everything everything?  Apparently so.  And note, "always" giving thanks.  This blankets our entire life!  And it would seem it must be so, or else some events are empty and purposeless.  Even heinous sins, whether occurring in me or upon me, must be seen as having purpose.  Once we even thank God for, not the sin itself (since all scripture speaks against sin), but for what purpose God must have in mind for its existance, (and I truly believe He has a purpose for sin:  God is not a victim of sin but is sovereign over it); then we can bring Him into the very heart of the worst of problems.  Once He is thanked, we take Him as having known all along, having allowed it for some reason, and having full ability to bring all out to a productive end, creating a final "work of art", as it were, where even the shadows and dark marks enhance the picture.  True gratefulness to God has these trusts hard at work in the heart.  If not grateful, we will doubt God's knowledge, doubt His purposes, doubt His ability and power to win, and thus fail in fuller trust of Him.

It's easy to be thankful for all the good things about God and from God, and indeed this scripture, taken in context with the praise spirit of verse 19, seems to be asking us to continually joy in all the greatness and goodness of God.  (Notice that thanks is to be directed to The Father.  He is The Head Source.)  But "everything" has to include all the other less happy and even tragic events we face in life on a regular basis.  This is where faith is tested and found to be real or phony.

Just as we are here instructed to thank the Father "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ", so again, as has been the theme of this book all along, we live our entire Christian life "in Christ", and thus even the ability to thank God "for everything" only is possible through having, knowing and obeying Christ.  Christ is The One, The Only One, Who enables us to be grateful, thankful "for everything."

An "attitude of gratitude," as Joni Eareckson calls it, is the demonstration of being full of Christ.  We become thankful for what we're learning in the dark hours, and for how we see the ways of God as we never saw them before.  A person can rise above the usual bad effects of horrible circumstances with an attitude of thankfulness because the range of sight is into the eternal rather than with just the here and now.

Prayer:  Awesome God, I do bow in deep thanksgiving to You.  Help me to express gratefulness at every turn because You are truly worthy.  Amen.

Thought:  To me, music was invented by God, for us, to praise Him.

Question:  Have I praised the Lord in song today?

Scripture:  Ephesians 5:19 (NIV):  "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.  Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,"

Since this follows verse 18 which instructs us to be filled with the Spirit, we could safely assume that verse 19 is a demonstration of a spirit-filled life.  A spirit-filled person will "speak" to others with music.  Music, melody, well-chosen words all edify and soothe, bless and lift, wash us, refresh us, bring peace, joy and love back into us as the world's demands deplete us.  And better to turn to these uplifting, musical activities than to, as mentioned in verse 18, "be drunk with wine."

Now, the advice here is to "speak" the songs while singing "in your heart to the Lord."  To me, it's as though we transfer by words what is in our heart from God, to others.  We sense a song lilting inside, a happy tune of praise just to know this Wonderful God of ours, and we then open our mouth to talk of Him Who is so rich within.  The very words become musical, as it were, to people's ears.

Three forms are mentioned:  1) psalms 2) hymns and 3) spiritual songs.  What are the differences?  Well, to me, psalms are a very emotional outpouring of written prose and/or poetry where the human condition approaches the power and sovereignty of God and finds help.  They can be a real crying out to God.  Psalms usually always conclude with praise that a solution is clearly found in God to every range of human experience.  To me, they may be musical, or they may not, depending on your definition.  Hymns, to me, are a man-made response of people to God, a worshipful type of bowing, an acknowledgment of our Great Creator and Savior's presence.  They are a more formal, structured type of music, designed for large group participation.  Hymns usually are carried in the traditions of the church, originally sung without instruments in four-part vocal harmony and are a piece of history in their own right.  Spiritual songs, to me, are inclusive of many things; probably a catch-all for all personal, original and perhaps shorter melodies of the heart that come to us as a result of communing with the living God.  Phrases of Holy Scripture can echo and bounce around in our hearts and minds and take shape into melodies and songs.  These are a real blessing, first to us and then to others when we "speak" them out.

Besides "speaking" to one another, we are commanded in this verse to "sing and make music."  This is a clear distinction.  It's as though God encourages us to explore the limits of what we can compose in worship of Him.  Music, then, can be as diverse as the people He has created; but we all find our unity in turning our adoration to Him--and only Him.  

It's encouraging to know that music "in the heart" is heard by the Lord and rises up "to the Lord."  God hears what's going on inside us always.  (This isn't always an encouraging thing!  We still retain the flesh and its reasonings from time to time.  God has to put up with a mixed bag, unfortunately; but the idea is that we do progress forward into a tighter conformation to His Son, Jesus Christ, as we grow in Him.)

Prayer:  Most worthy Father, may I be a blessing to others by speaking the "music" of Your blessings, Your gifts and Your very life.  Continue to give me a song in my heart to share.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, the fullness of the Holy Spirit is a much better alternative to the so-called "high" of drinking alcohol.

Question:  Have I ever been "filled with" the Holy Spirit?

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

It seems here that the problem is debauchery, not drinking wine.  So it seems to be an issue of temperance or balance.  We are not to overdo the drinking to a point of drunkeness.  When we do we slip into debauchery.  "Debauchery" (Webster):  to corrupt in morals, to pollute, excess.  From the French, "lure from work."  Those who overdo the drinking fall under its control until all parts of the life are overtaken.  One who is debauched cannot work at all anymore but becomes completely controlled by the urge to continue drinking.  It replaces other desires.  God has an alternative, though!  "Be filled with the Spirit."  Be overtaken and controlled by the Holy Spirit instead of the spirits of the bottle.  Then His Spirit replaces all other desires.  We are filled up with the Holy desires of God and so function as His instrument, His servant.  We are led by Him, not self.

Man apparently is designed to be a follower of something.  There is in man a bent to be yielded to some stronger power.  Christ said we will either follow Him or remain under the influence of "our father, the devil."  Man is never autonomous.  He is either filled with God and serving Him, or filled with Satan and serving him.  When we think we are deciding something ourselves, all we're really doing is choosing which controller to give ourselves to.  Paul says here that we should choose the control of the Holy Spirit rather than alcohol.

Also thus implied is that the Holy Spirit can make us feel as "high" as does alcohol!  (Or higher!)  When under the grasp of God we can let go, let loose, and know that God will lead us and take care of responsibilities beyond us.  To be filled with His Spirit is to be incredibly free; as Christ said, "free indeed."  Alcohol appeals similarly:  drinkers let go, let loose, especially of responsibility.  Man was created, however, to be directed by God.  He was never intended to bear so much all alone.  We are not, though, to be irresponsible, but we are to realize that our one primary responsibility is to yield to God.  (And that is a plenty large-enough job!)

All these verses are a guide out of darkness and into light; the light of understanding what God's will is.  Chapter 4 verse 17 begins the context of this theme.  We are told to stop imitating the lifestyle of gentiles who are in darkness, and to put on the new man of Christ instead.  Then Paul specifies several evils that should be shunned.  He goes on to talk about how light exposes and reveals evil.  One such evil is becoming drunk with wine.  When we can see it for what it really is, no one would choose it.

Prayer:  Loving Father, I know You want to fill me and carry my burdens.  Help me turn to You always for filling strength and give up any earthy substitutes.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, fools are rampant in our society.  There are very few who desire to know the Lord's will.

Question:  Have I sought God's will today?

Scripture:  Ephesians 5:17 (NIV):  "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."

This "therefore" connects this verse to the previous ideas:  live wisely, seize opportunites to do good and live in the light (of Christ).  People who live unwisely, find opportunities to do evil and prefer to dwell in darkness (apart from Christ) are being foolish.   

Foolishness opposes God's will.  A fool is one who ignores the good choice before him and selects to do wrong.  A fool does not realize when something is wrong, but rather thinks, in human terms, that his choice is right and good for himself.  He prefers his own reasoning and sense over God's.  This is why he's a fool!  In truth, no one's reasoning or sense is as good as God's! 

To oppose foolishness we are told to "understand what the Lord's will is."  To me, this can only come through a thorough knowledge and acceptance of God's Word.  We can understand God's ways through the Word, and in understanding, be educated to make better choices.  We come to see what God wants for us, what His will involves.  And it may involve some things we weren't expecting, like suffering and struggle--things that fools want to avoid at any cost. 

Prayer:  Omnipotent God, I do not want to be counted a fool!  Equip me to desire Your will, find out Your will and do Your will.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, much of our living can become wasted if we don't focus on daily opportunities and seize them for good.

Question:  Have I considered how much possible evil a day may hold?

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

As we walk through life we begin to realize just how stuffed a day, an hour, is with opportunity.  We also learn that there is much danger out there--at every turn.  "The days are evil" is, to me, a statement that reveals this truth:  there are manifold chances to sin.  In which direction will my choice of the moment take me?  Our recent discussion of light implies that the darkness of the days of evil is apparent.  We need to almost will the "light" into place instead.  This "willing" of "light" becomes the wise choice spoken of in verse 15.  

So Paul urges us to "make the most of every opportunity"; every opportunity to be wise, that is, and outnumber the moments of evil with choices for good.  This verse makes us aware of these opportunities--the opportunities we may normally miss.  It's as though God is asking us to walk every step of the day with a prayer on our lips to find good, do good and be good.

Prayer:  Almighty Father, sharpen my awareness of opportunities to do good in each day.  Enable me to make the most of them for Your glory.  Amen. 

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