Sunday – My Thoughts Today
As believers filled with the spirit of God, our passion and desire to reach out to others with the love of God. is very strong in our hearts, we desire to see others born again of the spirit of God, healed and delivered, and set free from whatever bondage the devil may have over them, we respond this way, because we have seen and known the love of God in our own lives and our hearts response is to reach out and tell others, having a compassion for them, and by love reach out to them, but it is very easy, to forget those already around us. God is a God of order and God is not the God of confusion. when we keep the priorities right in our living then we benefit greatly in our relationships.
Our families are the biggest gifts God has blessed us with, in fact that is where God wants us to begin to show forth His love and heart right within our families.
The word of God, which is God’s instruction and guidance and direction for His people, show us, the best way and with what heart to live as a family. The preaching and teaching of the gospel should start right in our homes, with the people we love and then maintained. Let us have a quick look at what God say about leaders and husbands and wives and taking care of our own families first. I like to begin by looking at the Leadership Epistle of 1Timothy because in the body of Christ, leaders are the ones that are to set the examples to others believers of how these things should be seen and practised in our lives.
ISV version of the Bible
1Timothy 3:4 He ( the one desiring to be a leader) must manage (rule maintain practise) his own family well and have children who are submissive and respectful in every way.
1Timothy 3:5 For if a man does not know how to manage (rule over maintian practise) his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?
The biggest instruction in this record is for leaders. God here show that those who desires to be leader in the body of Christ, should know how to bring up their children, they should be good at leading and guiding and managing their children and family affairs. why because leaders are the ones that set the standard and example to other believers, and all this is done in love with heart and concern for each person in that family unit.
Now Let us consider Gods heart for the husband and wives.
Ephesians 5:21-33
King James Version (KJV)
21 Submitting yourselves (the believers in the body of Christ) one to another in the fear of God.
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
Wow here we see Gods heart for all believers, especially Husbands and Wives God wants the husband and wife submitting out of love to one another.
In verse 21 it says Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
This addresses the body of Christ in relationship one to another the word submitting comes for the greek word hupotassō , I will explain this word which is also found in Verse 22 concerning the wives.
In verse 22 it say wives submit yourselves unto your own husband as unto the Lord.
the Word submit here come from the Greek word hupotassō and a wonderful definition I learnt about this word and meaning is , that the wife by loving obedient and proper arrangement, and deliberate decision with her husband, submits herself unto their own husband out of love for God and her husband and by the husband and wife own proper arrangement and agreement she submits herself unto her husband.
not forgetting in Verse 21 God wants all the believers to by loving obedience and proper arrangement to submit one to another as the body of Christ. now back to the husband and wife.
Every relationship is different, no two relationships are the same and every married couple have their own way of doing things, another couples arrangement will be completely different from my own relationship with my wife but what we decide as a couple is done out of love with God first and Christ as our head. there is love and respect in this marriage and our married life should be a great witness to others then verse 23 goes on to say that the Husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, and is the saviour of the body.
I have seen some treat their wives in a strict school master way because they have not truly understood this scripture. Gods say Husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the body, well how does Christ treat the church? He loves the church and gave Himself for the Church, He lovingly takes care of the Church.
Verse 28 so ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loves his wife loves himself.
well a Godly husband would not mistreat himself, and a husband should not mistreat his wife God wants the husband to love his wife and take great care of her and the wife out of love to submit to her husband, there is proper arrangement and conduct between them behind closed doors as well as in front of others. they are in agreement with the direction God wants in their lives for them they make decision together they work together as team.
Verse 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
The husband and wife are one flesh they are one together How the husband wants to be treated is how he is treat his wife and the wife the husband.
The Husband and Wives can be a powerful and great witness to other believers and the world if we decide to practise the loving instruction God is showing us from His word. All relationships take work, learning to love and forgive one another being understanding, serving one another and encouraging each other as well as comfort one another. when God is first in that marriage it is because God is first in both the husband and the wife in their personal relationship with God. Then as mums and dads this example is lived out in front of our Children, who will go on to practise, these truth in their own relationship as they grow up into Christ. There is a whole lot more on this subject in the word of God. why not take a look for yourselves, for some it may be the first time you have seen what God is saying for others you maybe be refreshing yourselves with these truths. But most importantly in our passion to reach out to others with the gospel lets take stock and make sure we are taking care of our families first. This is right before the God. These thing have come to mind as I have been attending a lot of weddings recently and know of people getting married and I have two weddings to go to this year, one being my own Son Danny to His beautiful bride to be Amber. have a great day.
much love Laurence xx
Thank you Laurence so much for these words from God ! Amen !
I was so blessed to read this ……..God is in the business of restoring relationships !
I had nine new people to fellowship today of which most have been abandoned by their husbands and Separated !
I then read your thoughts for today and was blessed to read the scriptures regarding these things I have lots of children through Christ !
So I looked up this word RULETH WELL ……proistemi…..it is to maintain with all diligence , to admonish them to the end that each one produces GOOD WORKS ! Wow
Thank you Laurence ….awesome stuff
Thank you do much Laur… This blessed me very much… It is at times so much easier to love strangers and this as you pointed out from the Word should not be so…
Love you
Ann
Xxxooo
Bless you dear Laurence in the name of Jesus Christ. The husband and wife relationship forms the basis for the way we treat other people, it’s where we get to practise and become steadfast in these Godly principles so that they become part of our nature in the new man as we set examples for how we treat one another outside the family unit. Much love and many thanks Love Kim xoxo
Amen 🙂