“I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.” –1 Corinthians 3:6-8.
As previously mentioned, Sonsofthesea is thrilled to announce we have been led to make room for guest teachers; these “new nets,” fellow fishers of men, will be joining their voices to ours in bringing you a timely Word from the Lord. Their hearts, like ours, sold out to Jesus and in sharing His inerrant Word of Truth with “who so ever will.” Watch for them, family, and be sure to read their bio’s!
That said, it is our honor to introduce our newest guest teacher, Pastor Samuel Cordeiro. We three, Kendra, Stephanie, and I, have the privilege of calling our Associate Pastor, Sam Cordeiro, our friend. Yet he is so much more. Pastor Sam is a mentor and leader both at Highland City Church and within our community. Pastor Sam is also a husband, dad, lover of God’s Word, and an intrical part of the Highland City Church worship team.
So please join us in welcoming Pastor Samuel Cordeiro!
Be on the lookout. Pastor Sam’s first post will go live on Saturday, April 16th, 2022, just in time for Resurrection Sunday.
Until then, head over to our website and check out his bio. And remember, keep watch for upcoming announcements regarding these new “fishers of men” God has called to teach and partner with Sonsofthesea!
And don’t forget to sign up to receive our weekly teachings. Visit our website, Sonsofthesea.org, fill in your preferred email, and hit “subscribe.” Easy! Each Saturday, you will receive a new teaching delivered directly to your inbox.
As always, may God bless you and keep you. And know, we are grateful and humbled that you choose to follow us—as we continue to follow Christ Jesus. We invite anyone searching for sound, Bible-based teaching to join our Sonsofthesea family! We have been a Christ-centered online presence since 2016.
“The Israelites were leaving with their arms raised in victory. But the Lord caused Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to become brave. And Pharaoh chased the Israelites” –Exodus 14:8.
“I’ve heard it said, “nothing can stop God’s love, and God’s love stops at nothing.”
The Lord had told Abram that His chosen people would be afflicted for 400 years— “Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for 400 years” –Genesis 15:13. We read of the Israelite’s first steps towards freedom from their oppressor through the lens of today’s Scripture. They were leaving behind some 430 years of affliction and subjugation in Egypt. This bloody, tyrannical chapter in the lives of God’s people coming to a seemingly implausible close; God’s Word is inerrant, All-Powerful, it cannot return to Him void. So even as God spoke to Abram, a non-rescindable promise was released over future generations. God’s people would be free. God’s promise would be fulfilled. All of this then, in God’s own time.
No seeming victory by the prince of this world can ever come to bear over the will and plans of our Sovereign King.
It is God alone who gives Satan both the power and permission to execute his thieving, murderous plots and schemes so that, in the end, all men may witness God’s glory and victory over every evil, giving glory to God for the victory. “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites did this'” –Exodus 14:4.
So how do we respond when our blessings show up disguised as trials? When the love of God feels like anything but love?
Do we take God at His Word? Do we honestlyknow, trust, believe that even our trials are blessings in disguise?“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”–Romans 8:28.
Scripture reveals two vastly different responses to this question.
Yet before we read about those, I pray the Holy Spirit gives us a fresh vision, a new level of discernment, that He does what only He can in removing the scales from our eyes, every preconceived notion we have concerning God, period. Specifically, I pray this as we walk through these perilous times of wars and rumors of wars concerning how we perceive God will, or will not, can, or cannot move, in our lives and our world. I pray we trust His Omniscience. I pray He refines us, bringing us to new levels of surrender to His will. I pray we catch a fresh revelation of the Sovereignty and Power of our God—and fully surrender ourselves to Him, leaving our every fear, our unbelief, need for control, our striving, and grappling at His feet. “Father, not our will, but Yours be done.” Amen.
Hear the heart of God’s people when faced with a situation that looked nothing like the blessing they had been told was coming. “As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” –Exodus 14:10-12.
And later, having walked through a seemingly impossible situation, a sea divided, walls of water standing tall, straight, and obedient as soldiers at attention. God continued to stand watch, ensuring the last Israelite stepped out from between the walls of water before commanding them to stand down. God spoke, and the water came crashing down. Exodus 12 informs us some 600,000 men plus their women and children safely crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, the walls of water God had used to deliver His people; He also used to bury their enemy. Yet their grumbling continued. “Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah. So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” –Exodus 15:22-24.
Having endured a season of crushing, time spent in the wilderness, or the fire of affliction, how long do you walk around with your hands raised in victory and thanksgiving before dropping them, beloved? For the Israelites, it was three short days. The sea had been parted. They’d crossed over on dry land. They sang songs of thanksgiving and deliverance; then, their need for water appears to have washed away any remembrance of the miracle they’d literally walked through.
Is it any wonder that God calls us sheep? How easily we forget, go astray, want what we want, forgetting the blows the sin of rebellion once dealt us.
Until we come to a garden, that is. Not the first one; that is where all this finger-pointing, pride, and rebellion was born. It’s in the second garden, during the watches of the night—Scripture informs us it was about midnight that finger-pointing, pride, rebellion, every sin, was poured into one Life-demanding cup. Understanding fully now that accepting the cup meant death, Jesus knelt and prayed. He asked the Father if this bitter affliction might be removed from Him. But God said no. Not only did He say no, He waited as Jesus drank deeply and all, the very last drop of the sins of this world. Your sins—all of them. Mine, too, poured upon His Beloved Son. God knew the Cross awaited Jesus. Just as He knew, the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army awaited his people.
God also knew for our sins to be removed, for us to be restored to Him, Jesus had to die. That had always been part of His plan. We catch our first glimpse of it back in that first garden when innocent animals were killed; their bloody skins used to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness. Even in our rebellion and sin, the heart of the Father is to provide for His children. “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” –Genesis 3:21.
Jesus would eventually finish the work we witnessed in the garden when His Spotless Blood was shed as the final covering for all that those might accept His free gift of salvation.
So how do we respond when God’s love feels like anything but love?
Now, hear the Words of the One who said “absolutely! I’ll go” when asked to lay down His life in exchange for ours. Listen for Jesus’ pure tones of acceptance, resolve, trust, obedience, love, devotion, His wholehearted desire to do endure anything the Father asked of Him. “Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” –Matthew 26:38-39.
And a while later, going back to pray, Jesus’ heart is revealed to us a second time—God always confirms His Word. This same One who took away our sin-blackened garments and, not leaving us naked, cloaks us instead with His Pure White Royal Robes of His Righteousness. “He went away again a second time and prayed, saying,“My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink from it, Your will be done” –Matthew 26:42.
Friends, God has given us the unfathomable gift of free will. Not wanting robots that love, worship, or serve Him out of fear or some false sense of obligation or duty, God affords us the privilege of serving Him.
The cup Jesus drank in the Garden of Gethsemane affords us that privilege—still.Your ability to serve God, to call Him Father, to carry His Spirit, alive, in you, is the costliest privilege afforded any man, having cost Jesus His very life.
Two examples. Two vastly different responses. Willful rebellion and self-satisfaction on one side, complete surrender, and the giving of self for another, even unto death, on the other.
So not if friend, but when your blessing comes disguised as anything but a blessing, which of these responses will be yours?
If you have not accepted Jesus into your heart, why wait? Ask Him in now, friend. He’s just waiting for your invitation. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” –Revelation 3:20-21.
If we have fully surrendered the ministry God has entrusted into our care, it is sure to experience flux. That ebb and flow of gathering in and letting go; tides of reaping, expanding, catching. And, subsequently, of letting go. Tides that draw away, release, demand our letting go of. Tides that require every ounce of our faith. We must trust God, no matter what happens. Releasing back into His Sovereign hands every-thing, everyone, He has so graciously entrusted to us. Making room for the new, we draw in, accept, welcome, and cherish each “new thing” our God is doing in, and through us and the ministry He has entrusted to us. And, equally, thank Him and bless His Holy name for what He requires us to release into His Sovereign care. “For all my father’s house were but men doomed to death before my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right have I, then, to cry to the king?”–2 Samuel 19:28.
Sonsofthesea family, our beloved sister and fellow fisher of men, Stephanie Rogers, is taking a sabbatical from full-time teaching. Stephanie will remain connected to Sonsofthesea—to you, as a guest teacher however, until further notice. We know family morphs and moves, and so in love, we shift and move along with them—encouraging, supporting, and uplifting. Stephanie is family. And so, by faith, we release to God what is God’s, and with great anticipation, await her release to return to full-time teaching.
And speaking of guest teaching, we here at Sonsofthesea are thrilled to announce we have been led in this new season to make room for guest teachers. These “new nets,” fellow fishers of men, who will be joining their voices to ours in bringing you a timely Word from the Lord. Their hearts, like ours, sold out to Jesus and in sharing His inerrant Word of Truth with “who so ever will.” Watch for them, family, and be sure to read their bio’s! And so it is our honor to introduce our first guest teacher, Pastor Maria Braga. We three, Kendra, Stephanie, and I, have the distinction of calling Maria Braga our pastor. Yet she is so much more. Pastor Maria is a friend, mentor, mom, lover of God’s Word, and mighty Prayer Warrior. Please join us in welcoming her! Her first post will go live on Saturday, January 29, 2022. But in the meantime, head over to our website and check out her bio. And remember, keep watch for upcoming announcements regarding the “new fishers of men” God is calling to teach, and partner with Sonsofthesea! And don’t forget to sign up to receive our weekly teachings. Visit our website, Sonsofthesea.org, fill in your preferred email, and hit “subscribe.” Easy! Each Saturday, you will receive a new teaching delivered directly to your inbox.
As always, may God bless you and keep you. And please know, all of here at Sonsofthesea are so grateful and humbled that you choose to follow us—as we follow Christ Jesus. We invite anyone searching for sound, Bible-based teaching to join our Sonsofthesea family! We have been a Christ-centered online presence since 2016.
This is a reminder to mark your calendar. We will be returning from our sabbatical refreshed and renewed next Saturday, December 4th, at our new posting time of 3 p.m., so don’t forget to check your inbox! And, if you’re new to Sonsofthesea, we welcome you! Please go directly to our website, sonsofthesea.org, and sign up to receive our latest blog posts. Each new teaching will be delivered straight to your inbox every Saturday. Simple, right!
Moving forward, be assured we continue to remain passionately committed to faithfully serving you, sharing with you the uncompromisedWord of the Lord.
Also, friends, in the not-so-distant future, be on the lookout for an exciting announcement concerning our expansion. We can’t wait to share with you all that God is doing in this, His ministry. So, until December 4th, then, may our faithful God continue to watch over you and bless you, keeping you safe as you dwell in the shelter of the Secret Place of the Most High.
How blessed we are brothers and sisters, to be living in the days the prophets, psalmists, and apostles, longed to see—the soon return of our Lord and King, Jesus! “And he said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me” Luke24:44.
On behalf of our ministry partner, Highland City Church, and each of us here at Sonsofthesea, we pray you enjoy a peaceful and joy-filled Thanksgiving season! One filled with the company of beloved family and friends, old, and new alike. One centered around lavishing our loving and merciful Lord with the myriad of thanks and praise He so richly deserves. And please note, we will be setting aside the remainder of November to rest and seek the Lord, but as always, we cover you and your family in our prayers. “Thank you” for your faithfulness in continuing to follow us as we follow Christ, our Lord. Remember to check your inbox on December 4th, or, for new followers, go directly to our website, sonsofthesea.org, before December 4th, and signup to receive our weekly teachings automatically. Simple! Beginning in December, our new posting time will be 3 p.m. EST. Until then beloved friends, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace” Numbers 6:24-26.
I spent much-needed time in my garden this week. The weeds had taken over so much of my garden; it no longer looked the way it was intended to. Unsure of what I had planted initially, I observed that the garden bed was now covered in green growth. Some of my plants were almost as tall as a small child! I had obviously planted some things there, but other plants had disguised themselves as inhabitants of my garden. As I began cleaning out this overgrown mess, I couldn’t help but see my reflection in it. How many times have I found myself with a chaotic brain? Sometimes my brain gets loud, shouting at me from every which way, causing the inability to think straight. Other times I have found myself in a multiple-day streak of depressive or anxious thoughts that choke me with their cloud of insecurity. Not regularly tending to my mind allows these negative patterns to grow like weeds, overtaking the garden beds of my heart. It’s no surprise that the Bible has quite a bit to say on this matter.
“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” — Proverbs 4:23
Your heart has a well that has both the potential to sustain life and to run dry, withering your heartland. I imagine this well, or “spring,” being at the center of our hearts and minds. This verse is not saying for us to ask God to watch over our hearts; it’s telling us to protect our own hearts. It shows us that there is work involved on our end in caring for our hearts! Yes, God cares for us and watches over us, but there’s a partnership when we come to know God that requires us to act as well. “… faith without deeds is useless…” — James 2:20. We have faith that God will move on our behalf, but we must do our part. I am a firm believer that God gave us a mind capable of thinking and planning for a reason. We can make a plan and carry it out, but in Christ, those plans must be submitted to the Father for Him to do with them what He wills. There is a paradigm of allowing God to direct our steps while simultaneously submitting our will and plans to Him, trusting that as we move forward, He is with us, letting us know when our plans are not in line with His (Genesis 28:15; Joshua 1:9). We have a unique partnership with God. As His children, heirs to His Kingdom, and through our submission to His Holy Spirit, God allows us to create, think, and reason—all for His Glory.
With the help of the Holy Spirit, we have a responsibility to take inventory of our thoughts and motives. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” — Romans 12:1-2.
Renewing our minds must be done regularly. If you let your mind wander without keeping it in check, it’s going to end up like my garden- covered in weeds you didn’t even know existed. I walked by my garden every single day and barely noticed that it was getting overgrown. It wasn’t until I stopped and thought, “I haven’t weeded in a while, let me check,” that I noticed it was so far off from what I had initially planted. And this same thing happens to us!! It happens to me, at least; I don’t know about you? The enemy will plant thoughts in your mind that diminishes your value. He will try to stir discontent, envy, greed, malice, and bitterness. All things that, if not uprooted, will draw from the wellspring in your heart and grow wild. You may not even realize that you’re watering seeds sown from the enemy until they suck the life out of you, drying up the wellspring of your heart. I have had to retrain my brain on Philippians 4:8. “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” This verse is our guide to a healthy mind.
What are you watering with your wellspring?
I remember going through a time where I had to discipline my mind because it was in a very dark, depressing place. I rose from my ashes and began to renew my mind by weeding out the poisonous words I had been allowing to define me. My well was dry, but I was determined to revive it. I began replying to my negative thoughts aloud by saying, “wrong seed, I’m not going to dwell on that, what is something good?” or “that’s not true, noble, right, pure, lovely, or admirable… What is?” I began looking for the seeds that Philippians 4:8 talks about… “What is true? What is right? What is pure? What is lovely? What is admirable?”
Believe me, when I tell you, it was hard. I couldn’t think of anything! I mean, it took a long time for me to find good things to focus on. Sometimes I would call a friend and ask what’s good in their life so that I had something to celebrate. However, the more I tended to my mind and heart, the more the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable seeds flourished. I began to see the beauty again, and not just the negativity that had been choking my spirit.
Ruminate: to go over in your mind repeatedly and often casually or slowly. (Miriam Webster dictionary).
Ruminating, or thinking of the same thing over and over again, is like showering your mind with those thoughts. It is drawing from the well in your heart to water whatever it is that you’re contemplating. Are those thoughts life-giving, or do they choke out the good seed?
I invite you to evaluate your heart and mind today. Begin ruminating over the Word of God and His promises over your life. Read your Bible and get to know the sound of His voice. Use your wellspring to water the words from the one who gives us life, for it is here where we will see good fruit come forth. Stop replaying negative thoughts and situations over and over. Instead, let the Word of God wash your heart and mind. Give your heart to Jesus today and as you tend to it, invite the Holy Spirit to help you see what needs to be uprooted.
And if you haven’t asked God into your heart as Lord of all, please, do it today. Don’t allow those things never meant to be in you to stay in you for one more minute. Instead, invite the Living God into the garden of your heart today and then watch the Master Gardner to do what only He can—cultivate your heart, will, and emotions. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit” –Jeremiah 17:7-8.
Psalm 34:18 gives this assurance to those who are grieving: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Due to the sudden loss of my beloved aunt, a dear sister, and a dedicated and loving mother, a friend to many; Sonsofthesea will not be posting this week. Thank you for your understanding. I covet your prayers for my mother and family. I’ll ask you, please, to pray too for all those walking alongside us through this valley of heartache. And, if this is you, know that you and your loved ones are in my prayers. Until next week then, God willing, may God bless you and keep you. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too” –2 Corinthians 1:3-5
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth” –Revelation 3:15-16.
The days of lukewarm Christianity are quickly coming to an end. For some time now, pockets within the western Church have become image-driven; their performance, the standard of excellence they strive to meet—the smoke, lights, and the number of people walking through the doors week after week, their measure. The Gospel of Jesus Christ seemingly no longer reigning supreme; instead, it has been asked to take a seat right beside the world’s point of view—that ideology found within the hearts of unregenerate man.
Once driven primarily by Biblical principles, the western Church has dimmed the lights on what should be the ever-illuminating Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, making way instead for the counterfeit freedom that comes, supposedly, by following our feelings. It has forgotten what the word of God warns concerning those feelings: “The heart is deceitful above all things” –Jeremiah 17:9. It has instead taken man’s words as gospel in relinquishing God’s Word as its final authority. Somehow, the progressive thinker has taken the child-like simplicity of the Gospel message and contorted it into some complex ideology of their creation. And by their own doing, they’ve made communion with their Maker so inaccessible that the mere thought of knowing Him has become as far-fetched for them as some fairytale.
Yet the Truth is, while it most certainly is not always easy, following God is simple.
In Proverbs, the book of wisdom, the writer gives us a valuable key to opening our understanding of God. It gives us clear instructions on how to know God, yet this simple principle has been lost in the name of enlightenment. “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding— indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” Proverbs 2:2-5.
If you’re anything like me, you know what it’s like to have a loud mind. While coming up with ideas is easy, follow-through proves to be a more challenging feat. Typically, my carrying out an idea requires the know-how that isn’t always inherent in me. For example, if I want to do a house project, I will be more successful if I watch videos or get around someone knowledgeable in the subject. While on the flip side, I tend to give up rather quickly when tackling projects on my own.
Similarly, our desire to know more of God, about Him, His ways, and thoughts, must be cultivated. It’s great to want to know God, but if we’re not putting ourselves in an atmosphere conducive to finding Him, getting to know Him, we may never get there. God draws near to those who seek Him. So, seeking Him through reading His word, spending time with Him in prayer, asking Him for understanding, fellowshipping with other believers, and reading Christian books are just the beginning of our developing our personal relationship with Him. In our search for God, we quickly learn that there is no end to discovering His vast beauty. As we pick up the Bible and find His voice within its pages, He becomes the compass that continually points us towards His Truth.
Let me ask you this: what guides you? Whose voice are you giving ear to? Whose words do you accept as Truth? To what are you applying your heart?
I guarantee that if you fill your mind with the world’s ideologies over the Truth found in God’s Word, having a relationship with Him may end up feeling impossible and become far more complicated than it was ever meant to be. The promise in Proverbs 2 is that you will find the knowledge of God through storing His word in your heart. You will find the knowledge of God when you turn your ear to (in other words: soften your heart towards) Seeking after Godly wisdom, rather than pridefully rejecting it. You will understand the fear of God when you cry out to Him (or pray) for understanding. The simple Truth is this: if you seek Him, you will find Him. God promises this: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.” -Jeremiah 29:13.
God wants your heart, to have a relationship with you—that’s the simplicity of the Gospel message. Not what some western Churches have turned it into, the smoke, lights, and numbers, the celebrity preachers. Not some cleverly-crafted theology that has nothing to do with Him—a theology filled with thoughts and notions that are so complex and far removed from God’s heart that one would need a Ph.D. to follow along! God never said, “you might find me when you try to seek me.” No. The promise is that when you earnestly seek Him, you will find Him. Our pure longing for more of God becomes often corrupted by our striving—by what we’ve turned God into—some false idea that “more is required of us.” When the Truth is, Jesus has already done what we never could! “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18
From the outside, Christianity, following Jesus, can look complicated. It may seem like it requires so much effort on your part. It may seem as though the standards set in the Bible are unattainable to you. Yet here’s the part that’s only realized as you surrender to God—as you fill your mind with the things of God and apply your heart to understanding His commands: your natural response becomes obedience. Standards you once thought impossible, become natural. And, the more you get to know God, the more you realize that He is your everything. “[Jesus is] the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” –Revelation 22:13. God is the giver of joy, the giver of peace, the giver of hope, and the giver of Life itself. The simple Truth is this: as we spend time getting to know God through His word, True-Life opens within us, and the secrets of His kingdom begin to take root in our hearts.
Our place in creation becoming clear as His presence becomes our home.
You see, God knew that salvation had to be simple. His desire is for us to be with Him both now and for all eternity, hence Jesus’ sacrifice—His Life, death, and resurrection. He knew that outside of His power at work in us, if we had to jump through hoops on our own to get to know Him, chances are we’d be damned to a life of constant striving and insecurity—never knowing, with absolute certainty, if we were indeed His. So, in His mercy and lovingkindness, God made it so that the Cross of Christ is our security, His promise to us, that can never be revoked. “God can’t break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek” –Hebrews 6:18-20, Message Bible.
If you haven’t already done so, I invite you to search for God with your whole heart. Pick up a Bible and ask Him to make Himself known to you as you humbly seek His Truth. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” –Matthew 7:7-11.
“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” (Ephesians 5:22-23).
For the past few weeks, the overarching theme in my alone time with God has been His reveling that practically everything Jesus said, did, and how He commands us to live is counter-cultural. It often opposes and contradicts what society says is good or right. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not only compelling and transformative –it’s also confrontational. God’s Word confronts almost every societal norm and challenges the upside-down beliefs that spring up from them. Its fluid standards regarding love, success, modesty, femininity, sexuality, and marriage. It should be no surprise then that Lord commands believers’ standards to be different from those of the world. In the Book of Ephesians, we read that the Apostle Paul insisted on this: “I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking” –Ephesians 4:17.
And if anyone struggles to understand what Paul is saying, John makes this same message crystal clear listen: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions – is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” –1 John 2:15-17.
It is becoming more and more evident that sin is celebrated in our society. In contrast, hostility towards God, His people, and the things of God is on the rise. The world calls sin freedom and thus, celebrates it. Is it any wonder that those who follow Jesus Christ in this anti-Christian climate face so much resistance, hostility, and rejection? We live in a time where the majority rule holds sway over ever-changing societal norms of what is deemed right, and what is wrong. Where subjective feelings and opinions all too often superseded God’s Truth.
In my alone time with Jesus, I thought about the cost of both following and submitting to Him. The many ways in which His narrow path is vastly different from the wide-open road of the world. And it was during this reflective time that the Lord dropped the word “submission” in my spirit. And I began to question Him, “aside from submitting out of reverence for You, where else is submission commanded? Oh, yes – marriage!” At that moment, I didn’t understand why the Lord was speaking to me about submission within the bonds of marriage as I’m currently single.
But what eventually became clear to me was this: The place where we exercise biblical, counter-cultural behaviors is in our homes, specifically within our marriages. As a single, woman I’d never thought about submission in light of marriage. Then I visited the scriptures and found this passage in Ephesians 5:21-33 which states: “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. 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.”
Talk about counter-cultural! In today’s climate, just the term “submission” alone invokes negative reactions and imaginings. And yet, we witness people submitting to one another daily. CFO’s submit to CEO’s. A child to its parents (Ephesians 6:1). And as citizens, we each must submit to law enforcement and governmental authorities. Jesus, the Son of God, submitted to God His Father (1 Cor. 15:28). The universe submits to Christ (1 Cor. 15:27; Eph. 1:22), and even demons submitted to the disciples (Luke 10:17).
Each of us must submit to someone or something in some capacity at some time in our lives.
The Lord showed me how it would be useful for me to come into a deeper understanding of biblical submission now, especially since I desire to become a wife someday. Serving my husband will be a form of submission, a way in which I will exercise honor and obedience towards Him. As I read and prayed, God opened my mind, enabling me to understand that the world’s practices and ideas concerning submission in marriage contradict those practiced in a genuine God-glorifying, traditional, biblical marriage. Before I had a relationship with Jesus, culturally speaking, submission meant a man having control over a woman. For me, the word submission was rooted in toxic, controlling, misogynistic, and outdated ideals. However, God and Scripture have taught me otherwise. And while it breaks my heart to imagine anyone in an unhealthy, controlling marriage – please know this: that was never God’s design for marriage.
The Lord intends marriage to be a loving, intimate, intentional, and God-honoring covenant.
And any marriage that genuinely glorifies God will require obedience to His authority. It also requires that a wife be willing to submit to her husband as he lovingly exercises authority over her. (In this, we witness the Bride, the Body of Christ, willingly offering herself to God; Christ, Head over His Body.) The woman’s submission to her husband and her husband’s loving-kindness towards her honors the Lord, and it serves as a model of service one to another. “Male and female he created them…” –Genesis 5:2. Each of the partners having a unique yet complementary role. “And the LORD God said, ‘it is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him’ –Genesis 2:18 From the very beginning, the Lord’s design for creation involved order and separation (heaven and earth, light and dark, morning and evening, male and female, etc.)
In an article on the “Focus on The Family” website, author Jeff Johnston sums-up this concept of biblical marriage beautifully:”
It is out of the diversity and distinctive separateness of male and female that we humans are called to not only reflect the image and likeness of God, but we also represent God in the stewardship of His good and wonderful creation (Genesis 1:28-29). Male and female also reflect God as they come together in unity in marriage and are joined as “one flesh” (see Genesis 2:23-24; Matthew 19: 3-6; Mark 10: 6-9; Ephesians 5:28-32). This coming together as one flesh is unique in that the sexual union brings forth new life that will also somehow look like God and bear the imago Dei. As we are “fruitful and multiply and fill the earth,” we spread God’s image around the world (Genesis 1:28).
Friends, biblical submission is not about control nor oppression. Biblical submission within marriage is rooted in God’s beautiful, divine, and unique order. It is the unifying picture of the Lord and His bride –the Church. While the heavens display God’s greatness, God chose humankind to bear His image; we each created in His image and likeness. And within the bonds of the covenant of marriage, we find the biblical model of divine order: love, servanthood, and leadership. God’s marriage order (God 🡪 male 🡪female 🡪 children) does not imply inequality or inferiority rather divine order –Ephesians 5:21-33. In biblical marriage, the Lord Jesus is its center. He alone reigns over each partner, and not one partner ruling over the other. Each then submits to Him, and each other, out of reverence and love for Jesus. “And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” –Ephesians 5:21.
Men are called to love their wives just as Christ loved the Church. Jesus gave His life for us, pursued us when we denied Him, loved us when we were unlovable; men are called to love their wives with this same kind of love! “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” (Ephesians 5:25 – 28).
I don’t know about you, but that sounds to me like a remarkably high calling to me! Love is at the very core of this unique calling. Husbands are called to cleanse their wives, washing them in the Word, loving their wives as they love their own bodies. We are to love the Lord Jesus Christ with all our hearts, mind, and soul (Matthew 22:37). We are to love our enemies (Matthew 43:48). We are to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39) – and for a husband, his closest neighbor is his wife. Both a wife and her husband are called to die to their flesh, their “me first” predilections – that doesn’t come naturally. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit at work in both partners. Submission is counter-cultural. Trusting your husband’s lead is counter-cultural. Loving your wife as God loves His Church is sacrificial; it too is counter-cultural—because biblical love in and of itself is, counter-cultural.
While the world may view biblical marriage as a woman yielding or giving up her individual liberties, it is instead embracing and submitting to the divine order God has established for her with the bonds of marriage. The obedient wife does not wait for orders. Instead, she tries to discern her husband’s needs and feelings and responds in love. When she sees her husband is weary, she encourages him to rest; when she sees him agitated, she soothes him; when he is ill, she nurses and comforts him; while he is happy and elated, she shares his joy. Yet such obedience should not be confined to his wife; the husband should be obedient in the same way. When she is weary, he should relieve her of her work; when she is sad, he should cherish her, holding her gently in his arms; when she is filled with good cheer, he should also share her good cheer. – St John Chrysostom, 4th Century AD
Friend, if you are single now, yet desire to be married one day, it’s never too early to learn God’s design for the covenant of marriage. And, if you’re married, re-membering His plan can serve as a refresher. A reminder that we need to die to ourselves daily. To be intentional within the bonds of marriage. And to submit one to another lovingly. As Christians, we have not been called to live as the world does. As Christians, we are called to follow and abide in Christ. To follow His will and ways, even if it makes us look upside down in the eyes of the world.
However, challenging it may be to follow the narrow path while living in this world—your soul will undoubtedly be filled to overflowing with joy and your heart at rest and satisfied when you do. As a former atheist, I can attest to this: the world will not satisfy the deepest longings of your soul–only Jesus Christ alone can do that. I’ve counted the cost and continuously find Jesus to be worthy. However counter-cultural it may be, are you willing to courageously accept Jesus into your life as your Lord and Savior?
One of life’s “suddenly’s” happened this week. As a result, Sonsofthesea will return next week. Thank you for continuing to follow us as we follow after Jesus…
We are a team of Christian Authors and Teachers dedicated to sharing the Innerant Word of God with those hungry to receive Biblical Truth. Follow us as we follow Christ at Sonsofthesea.org
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