As Sent Ones, disciples intentionally
immerse themselves as servant-disciples in our own families
What is a servant disciple? A disciple is a follower – and in the Christian faith almost always means a follower of Jesus. A servant-disciple is a follower of Jesus in name and action. Jesus said that he came “not to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:45).
As servant-disciples, regardless of the environment we find ourselves in, we look for opportunities to be of help and service to others.
Your Biblical Identity in Christ
Ephesians 5:21-33
Instructions for Christian Households
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
~ Apostle Paul,
Ephesians 5:21
21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Pondering Point
Take time to read Ephesians 5:21-33. The call to submit to one another in Ephesians 5:21 comes at the end of a section encouraging us to imitate Christ (who submits to God the Father). It then leads into a conversation about relationships between spouses, between parents and children, and among others.
Submission itself occurs in relation to other people, but the motivation for submission comes from our relationship with Christ.
Too often our behavior as spouse, parent, or boss is not worthy of such respect. But Jesus is always worthy of such respect. Our motivation is to be solely in the relationship we have with Jesus Christ our Lord – and not negated by poor behavior of others.
God calls us to be people of light and imitate Jesus, whose light has shined on us. We don't want to reflect the attitude of the world. We don't want to reflect the attitude of our boss or parents or spouse. We want to reflect the attitude of Christ Jesus in our marriages, in parenting, and in our lives outside the home as well.
Prayer
Remind yourself that you are a disciple of Jesus serving in ways that glorify God the Father.
Then pray:
Father God, grant me a spirit and willingness to submit to others in my family out of reverence for Jesus Christ my Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.