God's Perfect Order

It’s so easy for the modern church to look at the Believers of the Bible and question their thinking… “How could the Children of Israel question if God was able to care for them after seeing the parting of the sea, the pillar of fire by night, and cloud by day?”

“Why were the new believers in Israel so intent on mixing their new found faith in Christ with the laws of Judaism?”

“When Jesus is the final and perfect sacrifice for our sins, why do so many still cling to a works-based salvation?” This is the trap that has ensnared every generation… taking God’s order and “improving” it with man’s own twist.

Let’s look at God’s given order…

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word” (Ephesians 5:25, 26). “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as you do to the Lord. The husband is head of the wife, as Christ is head of the church… wives respect your husbands” (Ephesians 5:22,24,33).

Christian’s today, especially educated women, cringe at this order, but it is not just good, but great, when done properly. No woman wants to submit to a mean-spirited controlling man, nor can an angry man be respected. But instead of throwing this order away, as though it was never given to us, we should all be striving to obey God in this area. To be head of the home does not mean you get license to be controlling, nor does submission in marriage mean you are less intelligent, inferior or capable. It’s about order, respect, and love. Scripture makes it clear that we are to “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21).

When a husband loves and leads like Christ, a woman feels protected, respected and cherished. It is easy for her to submit to that kind of leadership. May we pray as the body of Christ that we are growing in this area, and that the world is given a beautiful example of what a Christ-centered marriage looks like.

If we don’t, women will take the role of men, becoming angry, frustrated, tired leaders. Men will continue to grow passive, weak and non-dependable, and our testimony to the world is damaged because we didn’t obey God’s given order. Let’s not try to “do it our way,” it will lead to so much confusion for the next generation that have to grow up under this disorder and dysfunction. “As for God, His way is perfect” (Psalms 18:30).

(Devotional by Cheryl Hall-Laos)