Devotion for 26 MAY 2011 Anno Domini (Eph 5:15-33)

Devotion for 26 MAY 2011 Anno Domini (Eph 5:15-33)

“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.” (Eph 5:15-33)

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.” How we walk and where we walk demonstrates either wisdom, or it demonstrates foolishness. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly….” (Psalms 1:1) It is foolish to walk with losers. Walk with those who are your co-victors in Christ. The Godly way is the wise way. “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.” (Col 4:5)

“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” The field commander will waste no time in rushing reinforcements to that portion of the battle-line which wavers. It is certain that we are in a great battle between good and evil. The declaration of war was made in eternity past. The war is not over until the last shot is fired and all is quiet on the battle-lines. Waste no time in pressing the Gospel. While it is yet light, labor with diligence. Soon it will be night and no opportunity will avail for righteous works.

“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” Drunkenness results from a failure to curb the fleshly desires. Any substance that alters our inhibitions or conscious state is detrimental to good conduct. Be so filled with the Spirit that the influence of wine, in comparison, would fail of any pleasure at all.

“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Speaking, not only in Communion, but when alone as well, the vocabulary of the Psalms, and the words of the great biblical hymns and songs. There should always be a melody in the heart of the true believer. The words to the old hymn come to mind, “There’s within my heart a melody. Jesus whispers sweet and low. Fear I am with thee, peace, be still, through all of life’s ebbs and flows.”

“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” How do we give “thanks always”? Our entire daily life is a prayer. The kindness we show others is a silent means of saying “thank you” to God the Father for the Grace and Mercies given in Jesus Christ, the Son.

“Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” Preferring the better portion for others and doing so knowing it will please our good parent, God the Father. How happy is a father to observe one of his children always giving place to another of them! So does God take great pleasure in our putting others’ interest ahead of our own. These are also acts of common courtesy (or what was once considered common) of giving your seat to an elder person, taking time to assist another in need who is incapable of helping themselves, or speaking words of sympathy to one who has suffered some deep tragedy.

“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” The Lord is kind and compassionate. We may submit ourselves unto Him for He will always treat us with love. The wife may always comfortably submit herself to such a husband and enjoy complete freedom in the process, for her desires will be his desires. We must always remember, in marriage and in government, that their exists an hierarchy of laws which must be obeyed. The Law of God trumps all others of men and governments. God does not expect a woman to be forced into ungodly trouble because of her husband.

“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. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.” The model and type fits perfectly here. The marriage institution is identical to that of Christ and the Church. In America, a citizen is subject to the governor of the state in which he resides. But he is also subject to the President of the United States. A Presidential Commission will always take precedence over a State-directed Commission. This counsel presumes a Godly husband, not one who is wicked and abusive. A wife should be patient and aware of the hardships her husband faces, and his weaknesses. She should endure fair hardship if necessary, but never acts of unrighteousness which impacts her life and that of her children. God does not dictate such subjection.

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.” I find it noteworthy herein that God does not command the woman to love the husband, but does command the husband to love the wife! Why is this so? Is it an oversight? I think not! The institution of marriage presumes upon the different natures of the man and woman who are party to the covenant of marriage. A man, in the heat of labor or daily struggle, may forget to love as he should. He needs to be reminded that he must love his wife so much that he would die for her benefit just as Christ died for ours. But the woman has a natural tenderness in her heart that is prone to respond in love when it is offered. If the husband loves the wife beyond measure, there is no doubt that such love will be reciprocated by the woman tenfold. Why does the Church love Christ? Because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

Why did Christ give Himself for the Church? “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 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.” We should desire to maintain our wives and families in such a state of sanctification and cleanliness as to provoke the admiration of all other good men.

“So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church.” See? The type remains consistent here. The wife is the public face of the husband. He may be accomplished in many social graces, but if his wife is not virtuous, he will not be honored. The wife is the unchanging body of the marriage. Her influence in the home far exceeds that of the husband. The husband should insure that his wife is well nourished, well clothed, and well loved. The Church is the public face of Christ. If it remains virtuous (a pitiful state today), mankind will be attracted to it and honor it. Christ loves the Church more than His own Body, and He cannot wait until the moment arrives when He shall return for it. This is the manner in which husbands should view their precious wives. “For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.” Those parts of Christ that are visible upon earth are found in the Church today. May the Body be righteous, the flesh devoted to the spiritual things, and the bones of faith strong and robust!

“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. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” The first institution of God in the Garden at Eden is repeated here (in case we missed it in Genesis 2:24). The institution of marriage preceded the Church itself for it is, like the Passover Lamb, a type of that which follows in full reality. The first Commandment of God involves the marriage state between a man and a woman: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (Gen 1:27-28) The modern perversion of homosexual marriage cannot satisfy this commandment and, in fact, is a shameful offense to the Creative Design of God. If we, the Church, are not the Bride of Christ, we have no part with Him. We cannot be One with Him and divided in the marriage institution.

“ Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.” This same principle is repeated for emphasis and summary. It is a point which we must not miss. You will note, here again, the distinction provided between the male/female makeup of marriage: "his wife” and “her husband”. Surely we do not need to delve further into the question of what comprises a marriage. It is the most sublime of all of the earthly institutions of God because it typifies the most sublime of the Heavenly Institutions for which Christ died – the Church! How does your marriage measure up to this counsel?