Being filled with God's Spirit of Submission

Hey GCT:  This Sunday we will be finishing our time looking into to this “mega mystery” marriage relationship that God created for man and woman to cleave and become one for the purpose of showing to the world the love Jesus has for us - the church and how we - the church love Him as we submit (Ephesians 5:21-33).  We are reminded that our marriages and the husband and wife roles are to show off Christ to the world and how we are so very different than the world.  As we discussed last Sunday, we are going to look into what is the call of God upon "wives to submit to their own husbands as to the Lord.”  Biblical submission is a happy response to your husband’s biblical leadership (headship).  Husbands, when you are doing what God calls you to do in your marriage biblically, loving your wife as Christ loved the Church, most likely your wife will respond with love, happiness and supportive submission.

Submission says, I am going to trust you to do what is right… even right now with this or that.
Submission yields: When you cant agree and some one must break the tie. Let the husband break the tie.  When the husband does this you are obeying the order that God established for your marriage.

Wow!  That sounds so counter-cultural doesn’t it?  But this brings such harmony and blessing from God as we obey His commands within marriage.

Wives... can you remember when was your first opportunity to submit to your husband in marriage?  Do you remember if it was difficult?  
Husbands… do you make it difficult for your wives to submit to you?  
Wives… are you difficult to lead?  
Husbands and wives… is the leader of your home simply the one who is the loudest, most dramatic, the one who creates catastrophe, or most obnoxious?  
Or are you striving to not only love Jesus but also follow His model of harmonious joyful marriage?

Within the husband and wife relationship submission and headship is a complementary relationship that has as its goal a completing of one another.  Husbands you are to complete your wife more and more each day.  Wives you are to complete your husbands more and more each day.  The purpose of this completion of the image of God within the marriage relationship is for each of you to have a pre-curse joyful, loving, passionate, friendly harmony.  Are you leaning more and more into one another daily for completion?

Just as a husband’s headship is not his own but is given to him by God so is a wife’s submission.  Submission is a gift from God to the woman as she is filled with the Spirit of God.  Male headship and female submission is a divine appointment, a calling from God.  Both husband and wife have been given identities and roles from God to make marriage beautiful and joyful and productive while showing off His image to this world.  Headship and submission are a really really big deal to God.  Let us come together Sunday and worship our loving God who has given us marriage to enjoy Him more intensely.  

I look forward to worshiping with you.  Love in Christ - Steve

“It is not your love that sustains the marriage, but from now on, the marriage that sustains your love.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison