Some people seem to have a special marriage and family life. You might wonder what goes into making that happen. If you take Paul’s words in Ephesians 5:1-6:4 seriously you will find God’s way to a quality family life. It is based on living a quality life within the family of those who believe.
Paul spells this out in the first 21 verses of chapter 5. With verse 21 as pivotal, submitting or committing your lives to one another out of reverence for Christ, he then introduces characteristics within the biological family that will lead to healthy, wholesome relationships. Wives are to submit to their husbands as to the Lord. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church.
In each case they are to affirm each other by the way they treat each other. In addition, they should work at enriching the life of their spouse. Their relationship is to be a demonstration of the relationship God desires between Christ and His church.
When it comes to the children, they’re to recognize the benefits they receive from their parents and honor them by obeying them. Parents are to train and instruct their children in the Lord. All of this is to take place in a wholesome and winsome environment where it is easy for each one to respond as God instructed.
Once you have discovered the focus of a portion of the Bible and worked at amplifying that focus, take some time to try putting it into an outline. We will do this in subsequent visits. Then develop some applications that can be made to your life based on what you have studied.
