Koinonia

The theme of this passage in Colossians is submission, a far cry from the American ideals of personal freedom, liberation, and choice. But submission is not the tyrannical concept most of us harbor in our minds. Rather, it is freedom! It is a form of respect, which allows us to be free and to have the best flowing in and out of us. It is a safe harbor of smooth waters protecting us from the storms of wrong actions. It frees us from bad thinking that leads to bad choices which, in turn, lead to a life of misery and trouble.

The Lord Almighty reigns is the declaration of heaven (Revelation 19:6)! Right now, right where you are, think about that for a moment. Our God, enthroned on high, reigns. When you observe the decaying “morals” of our society, when you look at the scandals and corruption in high places, and when your heart breaks over the thousands of babies who are murdered every single day in this nation, it doesn’t seem like God is reigning does it? But the timeframe of our study this week is at the end of this age, as we know it. And despite all of the devastation that takes place on earth during the great tribulation period, the heavenly group of elders declare that The Lord Almighty reigns (Revelation 11:17).

The will of God for Christians concerning proper sexual behavior is quite clear; namely, that they abstain from sexual immorality (Acts 15:20,29, 21:25; 1 Corinthians 6:13b; 2 Corinthians 12:21; etc.) Paul’s Spirit-inspired teaching on the subject is so strict and demanding that it extends beyond just the physical acts of immorality.

You have a new identity: “For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are His heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.” (Galatians 3:26-29, NLT) That is my identity and yours if you have put your faith in Jesus. But there is a problem. Satan hates that message of hope and change. He goes about trying to “steal” our identity in Christ by enticing us to neglect our relationship with God.

To all husbands, may we be reminded on this special day of the call of God upon our lives to love our wives like Jesus loves the Church (Ephesians 5:25-29). One of the greatest needs in our nation and the Church is for men to be Christ-loving, understanding husbands (1 Peter 3:7). After all, God’s ways are the best ways for all of us. Men, may we purpose to live lives that will bless our heavenly Father, today and every day.