July 26, 2015
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5:15-6:4
15Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
21Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30for 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.”32This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.2“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3“so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
4Fathers,do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Questions for Reflection:
Last week, Bret challenged us to read Ephesians 5:15-6:4 each day. As you prepare for worship, read the passage one more time. Paul speaks to the church about how they conduct themselves within the context of their families. If you were to summarize his teaching into a sentence, what would it be? When you read through the passage, what jumps out to you? What would it look like if Paul’s teaching were brought to life in your family? What about how you relate to others would need to change? Spend time praying asking God to help you live out those principles in your life.