Real submission

TODAY'S READING: Ephesians 5:21-33
This is probably one of the most abused passages in all of Scripture. Frankly, I am tired of men who use this part of God's word to mistreat their wives. Time after time I hear people talk about the wife submitting. Sometimes it is serious and other times it is joking, but if we can be real honest for a minute, how often does a part of our true feelings come out in humor?
In the way God designed marriage, is the wife in submission to the husband? Yes. But, let's not miss the other part of that equation. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church. Ouch. Men, I would venture to say all of us fall short of that standard, and many of us fall far short.
Jesus gave up quite a bit for us. Heaven for starters. Jesus was with His Father, in heaven, and He came down and lived on earth. So you may say, well, I'm not in heaven. No, but how many of us put our comfort before serving our wives? I have to plead guilty here at times. There are times I choose to sit on the couch instead of helping. At times I would rather enjoy football then let my wife watch figure skating. I could exhaust you with a list of times I fail here.
Anyway, my point is that submitting to each other and serving is a two way street. And my experience has been that the more I love and serve others, especially my wife, the more willing they are to submit when necessary.
And if you think about it, this really gets to a core problem we have in submission to Jesus. Most of us struggle with one or both of two issues. Either we fail to acknowledge what Jesus has done or we don't really believe we need it. If we had a more full understanding of how much Jesus really loves us and how much He gave up for us, we would willing submit to what He asks.
Obedience to God really comes down to love. Jesus loves us with all He has. Do we love Him with all we have? Have we accepted His love with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength? Has Jesus' love penetrated our emotions, our spirit, our thoughts, and our bodies? When it does, submission is no longer about changing behavior, it's about expressing love.
Which brings us back to where we started. Whether we are dealing with a spouse, a parent, a child, or a friend, the more loving and selfless we are, the more willing people will be to submit. And that has to start young. The habits and attitudes we develop as children and teenagers tend to stick with us for life. If you are young and mistreating others, especially members of the opposite sex, that behavior will likely follow you into marriage and affect your relationship with your spouse.
How many times did Jesus tell us to put others first? This would be a much longer email if I outlined them all, but let me simply say that Jesus said it and He lived it. As long as it was in line with God's character, Jesus always put others first. When He said "put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me," (Mark 8:34) it was not just a slogan, it was a way of life.
Imagine how much different things would be if we could live like that. When everyone is willing to put others first, we all work together and it's no longer about my wants, it's about serving the greater cause of God as He seeks to redeem all creation through us.

shine!
Jason