The Book of Ephesians part 8 – Week 47 / November 20th

by admin

Christian Relationships

“Wives submit to your own husbands……….”
“Husbands love you wives, just as Christ also loved the church….”
“Children obey your parents………………………”
“And you, fathers do not provoke your children to wrath………”
“Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters…….”
“And you, masters, do the same to them……..”

Ephesians 5:22, 25, and 6:1, 4, 5, 9

Christians of the first century were called the people of “the way.” That is, they lived differently to the people around them and this difference was discerned in their relationships to one another at all levels. This is what validates our faith as being credible and indeed believable. We are “new people” because of what Jesus has done for us and this newness must be seen where people struggle most and that is in their one another relationships.

The marriage relationship 5:22-33
No relationship is more blessed and more challenging than that of marriage. The rate of divorce certainly bears this out and should alert us to the fact that something is seriously wrong in our understanding of it. Here I am not referring to the world, which anyway has no appreciation of “born again” ethics, but to the Church of Jesus! It is a scandal that the divorce rate in the Church is the same as that of the world. We should be ashamed. If anything the Church has taken on board concepts of marriage which overthrow the biblical model and lead to chaos at all levels. For instance the idea that women should submit to their husbands is scorned at in the Church and even preachers “dance” around this truth when speaking about it. I am quite sure that this has been abused by many men and has subsequently brought heartache and abuse to the lives of many women but to “throw the baby out with the bath water” is equally wrong.

The truth is, marriage will challenge your carnal, selfish nature and if it is not structured around Christ and sacrifice it will fail. Women submit to men who lay down their lives for them and indeed where this happens submission is not a battle but a joy. Men have to learn that the women that God gives them are a gift and a treasure and that only their sacrificial love will beautify them and draw out of them a unique capacity to love and care for them and their children. This is precisely why Paul likens the husband’s role in marriage to that of what Jesus did on the cross to gain a bride called the Church. It cost Jesus greatly and men should know that God has called them into the same place in marriage. Your wife has not been given to you to make you happy and do your bidding! No, she has been given to you as a special treasure that you have to unlock and reveal for all to see. The truth is your wife is a reflection of what you are; nothing more and nothing less! When she is loved as Jesus loved the Church she will respond with submission and together you will find a joy and blessing that is beyond real description. Men have to step up to a new place of godly leadership in their marriages for to this God has called them. Jesus must be seen to be all sufficient in our marriages and we bring Him into great disrepute when we fail in this area.

The family relationship 6:1-4
Children need mothers and fathers and it is in this area that the devil is tearing peoples’ lives apart. Broken homes produce broken children and this in turn leads to a harvest of wickedness and chaos in our communities. It doesn’t take rocket science to know this but apparently our sick world has descended into an abyss of appalling ignorance in this regard. We need fathers to lead and discipline their children and mothers to care and cherish them and all of this in love. Sadly, once again, mothers and fathers can so easily abuse these skills and so end up being too hard on their children or too soft on them. We need godly balance and this comes from being a godly example in your home. Actually, what children need most is to see that their Dad loves their Mom and that their Mom admires and respects their Dad. When they see these qualities in their parents they will feel secure and loved. This in turn means that they can grow in healthy ways; especially emotionally. Children should then obey their parents and honor them as this will bring blessing and longevity to them. This is not an idle promise; our lives have more to do with how we have treated our parents than we believe!

Above all parents are to train their children in the ways of the Lord. This means acting deliberately and consistently and with one goal in mind; that they too will make a decision to follow Christ. Most of all it means teaching them by example! If parents don’t pray, read the Bible and go to Church they should not be surprised if in the end their children do not either.

Work place relationships 6:5-9
Christians belong to Jesus and therefore every part of their lives constitutes living for Him, including the work place! As employees we should discharge our duties to our employers with joy, dedication, integrity and honesty because, through them, we are serving Jesus. This makes difficult places of employment bearable and, if we are faithful, Jesus will promote us to something better. This is a lesson that many of us need to learn and to learn it well. We must avoid “eyeservice” performance because to work and have a job is a gift from God Himself. Our attitude to our work is noted by God and He will treat us in like manner. Many Christians remain truly stuck in their careers because they have failed to honor God fully at the work place.

Employers should recognize that as Christians they have important responsibilities to care for those under their charge. A godly employer should be kind, compassionate and not a task-master. Those who serve under him/her are precious and in many cases are Jesus’ children and those that are not should be encouraged to serve Christ. Their Master in Heaven is watching them and so they should not be wholly profit driven but driven by the purpose and will of God. Where this happens the business is blessed, filled with happy people and a testimony to an unsaved world.

This then constitutes Paul’s teaching about relationships and, of a truth; this is what it means to be a Jesus follower. It is truly time for Christians to step up and let Jesus reign in their lives. The world is waiting for this and more correctly is thirsting for this.

Malcolm Hedding

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

2013Devotional