Thursday, February 18, 2010

February 18, 2010

"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." Ephesians 5:21


Charlie Brown once confided to Lucy, "I love the world - but it's people I can't stand".

That is the rub isn't it? How do we get along with all those other people? They sure have a way of complicating life!

As long as we have to get along with people, why not begin with the ones we have to live with? How about the one you are married to?

In this verse Paul gives us the basic principle for not only get along with others but actually enjoying it.
What He tells us sounds simple, "Submit" to one another." Literally that means "to line up under" or "to give up rights".
You say, "Wait a minute! Why should I submit to them? Why can't they submit to me?"
Actually, they should. But you have no control over that. You do, however, hold the power to decide that you will submit to them. And why should you do that? One really good reason, "out of reverence for Christ".
Sort of sounds like there is a connection between our relationship with others and our relationship to God doesn't it? Absolutely! We cannot be in a right relationship with God until we become rightly related to others. And we cannot get right with others if we are not right with God. Submitting to another person is evidence that you have "lined up under" God and given up your rights.
The Apostle John put it this way, "We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." I John 4:19-21
So you want to get along with other people? It seems that this submission thing is a pretty big piece of the puzzle. If you want to get it right, give up your rights.