“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,” Ephesians 5:22, 25 NKJV
Reflection: what divides a house?
Yesterday was the “midterm” elections in the United States, the people spoke once more. And, again they clearly expressed that they are not happy with what the current administration and congress have been doing. Not so unlike many of the previous governments and associated elections. It is almost as if the people are willing to speak, but those elected only listen during the election. Once in office, something happens. They set a different direction for the country, not aligned with the will of the people. It is a misuse of the trust that the people put in the elected officials, a misuse of the given power. And, this is not just a phenomenon in the United States; it has certainly been the case in most countries in Europe for a long time. And, when we take a step back, to look at the big picture, we can see the effects of what is happening. We see countries falling into disarray, people and economies struggling, even wars happening. Sadly, we see power and money corrupts all over the world; could it be the work of the enemy?
As a follow up from what Paul wrote about how we are to live as Christians as light in this world, he continued “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”Ephesians 5:15-21 ESV
This last point, about “submitting to one another” is perhaps the best summary of the human challenge. That is so very hard for us, as we don’t want anyone else to tell us what to do. We want to do things our own way. And, if we again think about what happened in this election, applying the same principle, the election results came from not being willing to submit to the will of the people. And, Paul carries this same principle directly into to the very building block of society; the marriage, saying what has become so controversial in our society; “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,” Ephesians 5:22, 25 NKJV.
Paul explains clearly the imagery here; what the marriage is supposed to represent. It is Christ and His church and the relationship between them. It is not that complicated to understand; yet, this beautiful imagery is not often discussed in the church. Due to outside forces, the church has taken direction from others and is mostly avoiding such teachings from the Bible. But the truth is beautiful, and we are missing out on the best marriage counseling available. From the Lord Himself, speaking through Paul. What if couples would read this, and apply it in a loving way to their marriages, one has to only wonder how many marriages could be saved.
So today, as many wonder and are worried about what will happen next from this election, we look to a higher power. We look to our God. He is still on the throne; nothing happens outside of His knowledge. So, let us not get too worked up over this, or any election, but instead “Walk as children of light” Ephesians 5:8b ESV. The world desperately needs our light.
