Love, and that whole "submission" thing

Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:24-27)

I don't know how many people really use this passage as a guide in their marriages. What I do know is that a whole lot of people who claim to are only using half of it, and usually not correctly. So, a quick word on that: submission and servitude aren't the same thing. Not remotely. 

But speaking of service, let's look at that pesky, mostly ignored portion: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her..." 

Very often, we ignore this entire section of Scripture because it makes us uncomfortable. But when we really look at it, we can see a beautiful, wonderful prescription for a loving household. Christ didn't come to dominate the church. He came to humble Himself, to serve her, to die for her, to lead her in the ways of God, and back, ultimately, to the arms of the Father. 

You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (-Jesus, Matthew 20:25-28)

This is what Holy Love looks like. It is a sacrificial, desperate love. It is the kind of love that makes a man willing to die for his wife. The kind of love that weeps with her, that rejoices with her, that wants only the best for her.  

Imagine how marriage would look if men would truly love their wives as Christ loved the church!

A Perfect Family

Have you ever have a friend, while you were growing up, who you thought belonged to the perfect family? You know the one: Mom and Dad seemed to have it all together. The kids were happy. They seemed to want for nothing. Maybe, for some of your friends, yours was that family.

My own family was for many of my friends. But we were no Rockwell painting. Dad never called me "Sport" or "Champ." There were arguments my friends never knew about. There were things we wanted, or wanted to do, that we simply couldn't afford. However, looking back, that wasn't the sort of thing my friends envied anyway. What they saw was a lucky kid with two parents who loved fiercely and completely; who went out of their way to provide, when they could, for their children's happiness; who loved one another and were unashamed of it.

No, an earthly family can never be picture perfect. But a family built on a foundation of love doesn't need to be.

As a part of the Family of God, I often wonder whether the world peers in our church windows, longing for the joy they see in the house of God, in the same way some of my friends longed for the togetherness and fellowship they saw in my childhood home.

It sure seems like they should be.

As long as we're in a fallen world, maybe a perfect family -- even a perfect Church family -- isn't possible. Yet, Acts 2 gives us a glimpse into a day in the life of a family I know I long to be a part of.

 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.

So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:44-47)

Imagine if the world looked through our windows, and saw the family of God looking like that. Can you imagine anyone not wanting to come in and be a part of it? Or their joy upon being invited to do so?

Repost: Fathers and Pictures of God

This was originally posted October 17, 2012. It's being reposted in honor of Father's Day.

Pictures of God

I've been thinking lately about legacy. When Jesus talked about the love and care God has for His children, he liked to paint a picture of a loving father. Of course, we all know the story of the Prodigal Son. And there's Luke 11:11-12, in which Jesus reveals the generosity of God: “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?"

Or, in the book of Hebrews, where we are taught about discipline:

Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. (Hebrews 12:9-10)

The point is, when it comes to how our children view God, that picture is painted by how they view us.  When it comes to learning about a relationship with God, they take their cues from our relationship with Him, and our relationship with them.

To this day, I measure myself against the standard set by my father. To love his wife and children, to be a man of integrity, to love and obey and worship his God, to submit to the authorities placed over him, to enjoy the life and the family that God has given him. 

It's a high standard, and it has informed the way I view our Heavenly Father as well. 

The question that keeps me up at night is, when my own son is 35, what will his picture of God look like? 

Pictures of God

I've been thinking lately about legacy. When Jesus talked about the love and care God has for His children, he liked to paint a picture of a loving father. Of course, we all know the story of the Prodigal Son. And there's Luke 11:11-12, in which Jesus reveals the generosity of God: “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?"

Or, in the book of Hebrews, where we are taught about discipline:

Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. (Hebrews 12:9-10)

The point is, when it comes to how our children view God, that picture is painted by how they view us.  When it comes to learning about a relationship with God, they take their cues from our relationship with Him, and our relationship with them.

To this day, I measure myself against the standard set by my father. To love his wife and children, to be a man of integrity, to love and obey and worship his God, to submit to the authorities placed over him, to enjoy the life and the family that God has given him. 

It's a high standard, and it has informed the way I view our Heavenly Father as well. 

The question that keeps me up at night is, when my own son is 35, what will his picture of God look like?