Friday, May 15, 2026

Opening Scripture

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:26-28

Opening Prayer

Gracious Heavenly Father, you are holy and exalted! May your kingdom come and your will be done in my life, home, and community just as it is in Heaven. Help me to trust you today to meet all of my needs. Help me to forgive others just as you have forgiven me. Help me to resist temptation and overcome the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Ephesians 5:21-6:9

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just 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, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.

He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—“so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

Reflection  

Coming right on the heels of yesterday’s encouragement to be filled with the Spirit and make music in your heart to the Lord, Paul offers instruction on how to follow Jesus at home. It’s one thing to live like a Christian at church on Sunday. It’s another thing to live like a Christian with your family the rest of the week.

Paul knew that not everyone was a wife, husband, mother, father, child, slave, or master. However, those who were, needed to be mindful of what it means to honor God in that role. Certainly, the three relationships that Paul references would cover the vast majority of his listeners. The blanket command for all believers is this: “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

It is worth noting that Paul went through this same list of relationships in his letter to the church in Colosse. He prefaced that instruction with the general directive: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).

The word “submit” (hupotassó) denotes a voluntary yielding to authority. God created a universe with structure and organization. From the laws of nature to the constructs of government, there are appropriate submissions involved in every area of life. Submitting does not express inferiority, but it does support functional order.

In each of the three relationships Paul addresses, the first partner is instructed to be submissive through obedience, and the second partner is instructed to be submissive through care and concern. Both partners are motivated to act honorably toward the other as a service to the Lord. This requires humility, self-control, and faith in God.

Wives are to submit to their husbands out of love, respect, and appreciation – just as the church submits to Christ – recognizing the husband’s role as the head of the household. Husbands are to love their wives and sacrifice on their behalf – just as Christ gave himself for the church – recognizing the wife’s role as the heart of the household. This is both possible and appropriate because “the two have become one flesh” – a mystery similar to the oneness that occurs between Christ and the Church.

Jesus said, “‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Mark 10:7-9).

Each husband must love his wife as he loves himself, and each wife must respect her husband.

Children are to obey their parents because “this pleases the Lord” (Colossians 3:20). Paul references the fifth commandment for good measure: “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). Children must be nurtured and encouraged in such a way that they understand right from wrong, develop self-control, and learn to respect authority.

Fathers are not to exasperate their children. The word “exasperate” (parorgizó) means to provoke to anger or rouse to indignation. It implies undue harshness. Instead, fathers are commanded to bring up (ektrephó) their children – nourish them to maturity – in the training and instruction of the Lord.

This echoes the “Shema” in Deuteronomy 6, where parents are commanded to love God with all their heart, soul, and strength and to teach their children to love God that way as well. “Impress this on your children. Talk about it when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” If you train up a child in the way they should go, when they’re old, they won’t turn from it (Proverbs 22:6).

Paul then addresses slaves who are encouraged to “obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.” This third relationship is a challenge for most of us. Paul doesn’t condone the institution of slavery by outlining appropriate behavior for those who are part of it. The fact that Paul addressed slaves at all here is a significant departure from the norm.

Again, Paul’s instruction to the Ephesian slaves mirrors his instruction to the Colossian slaves. “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:22-24).

Masters are commanded to provide well for their slaves and to treat them fairly, keeping in mind that they also have a Master they are accountable to.

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Communities

While there have been tremendous advances in the fight against slavery in recent years, sadly, it still exists in many parts of the world. Current estimates place the number of people trapped in some kind of slavery at about fifty million, primarily in Asia and the Middle East. According to World Population Review, the countries with the most slaves are India, China, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, and Indonesia.

Thankfully, the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States in 1865. While “chattel slavery” – where a person could be bought or sold as property – has been outlawed in the U.S., human trafficking and forced labor are still far too common.

As we consider today’s passage, it’s important to remember that Paul was neither a proponent of slavery nor an abolitionist. He merely addressed the reality of slavery in his day as a follower of Jesus. No Greek or Roman author ever attacked slavery as an institution. It was simply a given that slavery would always exist.

The “Prison Epistles” – Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon – were written while Paul was incarcerated in Rome between A.D. 60-62. While the first three letters are written to churches, the fourth is a personal letter to a wealthy slave owner in Colosse.

Onesimus, Philemon’s runaway slave, met Paul in Rome and converted to Christianity. Paul’s letter to Philemon appeals for forgiveness and reconciliation, regarding Onesimus not only as a slave, but also as a brother in the Lord. Paul reframes the whole situation and pleads with Philemon to welcome Onesimus back in Christian fellowship (koinonia), not as “property,” but as “family.”

“Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever—no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord. So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me” (Philemon 1:15-18).

This perspective is a tangible application of Paul’s declaration to the Galatians in our Opening Scripture. While various social strata and positional hierarchies exist in all human cultures, everyone is equal in the Kingdom of God.

Based on today’s devotional, is there any adjustment you need to make?

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!