Relationship - as it is fit in the Lord

Recently, I was reading through Colossians and I came upon a verse that stuck out like a 'healed

thumb'!

 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.  Colossians 3:18

The word that stopped me alive in my tracks was the word 'fit' so I decided to look it up.  Guess what? It means fit (like suitable)! Nothing earth shattering!  As I looked at the immediate context, I could see that 'in the Lord' goes along with it. Duh! Again that is easy to see.

What is 'fit in the Lord? The Word of God contains all wisdom that pertains to life, so whatever is fitting about the husband and wife relationship has got to be in there. The larger, whole context for the word needs to be taken into account, not an isolated verse here and there. Any person can make the word say what he wants it to say by taking things out of the setting of the whole Bible.

So how about the very first husband/wife relationship? In the beginning God set everything up and then turned around and said that it was all very good.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Eve was given a brain and had thinking capabilities, along with (uh-oh) free-will choice. If God made her that way in the beginning, he must of had a reason!

Galatians 3:28 is breathtaking:

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

There are  many examples of outstanding women in the Bible like Debra, Sarah, Hannah, Ruth, Esther, Mary, Pricilla, Phebe, Junia, Lydia, Mary Magdalene and numerous other women.

Mary is a great example of submitting as it is 'fit' in the Lord. When the angel told Mary about the child she was to bear did she run to Joseph and say: "Honey I need to run something by you."?  Why didn't God go first to Joseph and tell him what he needed and then tell Joseph to discuss this with Mary? God worked with each of them individually. She submitted to Joseph as it was 'fit' in the Lord. Joseph also  responded as it was 'fit' in the Lord.   Joseph helped Mary do what God had called her to do.

Every marriage has a unique footprint, that is what becoming one flesh is all about. It involves commitment, work and believing in the 'Christ in' each other. Each individual person has a unique way to minister to others and each marriage is a melding of two separate callings into a mutual arrangement. The spirit of God works through the wife and works through the husband:

Ecclesiastes 4:9-13 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.11 Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

 To submit one to another is to have a relationship arrangement. Women are different from men and have different capabilities. Adam and Eve were designed to complement and help one another.   Marriage is a decision to have a permanent relationship. Every marriage is different, because two different individuals are brought together to figure out how to operate as a unit. It is fascinating!

The act of submission defined in the Bible can effect any relationship, not just a married couple.

Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear (reverence) of God. Epehsians 5:21 

Individuals are different and have different attributes, characteristics, skills, culture, upbringing and chemistry. Submission doesn't mean 'you are the boss of me'. Leadership is such a big word today, but biblically is is synonymous with servanthood. God's word is the standard and guidepost.  'Doormat' theology is not the point, it is about  the art and love of serving with recognition of the individuality of a person's heart. Bottom line, 'submission' is dealing with each other where the focus is not 'all about me'. It is true in marriage; it is true in any relationship. Jesus Christ is the best example and the reason for every season, not just the holidays.

Relationship

There are many people in this world that are anti-God. It is sometimes blatant and sometimes very subtle. I  remember moments in my life where I doubted and sought to explain God with my own mind.  I came up with some zany, culture-influenced conclusions. At one time it was cool and free-thinking  to be agnostic. On the other hand, often, a lack of belief in God can be cloaked by extreme religiosity. Religion is man's attempt to explain and legislate God. It springs from man's desire to control and nail down what he doesn't really understand.


God wants us to understand otherwise he wouldn't have provided a book about who He is! God provided His Word to explain Himself. The Bible is not some book of prose to be admired for its literary value. It represents life at its fullest. It is about God and man and a relationship.  


Sooner or later, a person has to make the effort to get to know God through the Word.  Eventually it is the individual person who has to understand God and what He provided through His son. It is  real life that Jesus Christ sacrificed his life for, not religious exercise.We can listen to what others say about God, but eventually the Word has to become one's own, because God meant for each one of us to have it and apply it to every situation in everyday life. 


God doesn't make anyone do anything, He is very much in favor of free choice. You just gotta love Him for that! In fact that is exactly what he wants from man, free-will love and trust in Him.


Often people think that God can only work through someone else's believing. E. W. Kenyon asked the question "Why is it that people haven't faith in their own faith?" It's a honest question and therein is the  key to the heart of the ministry of reconciliation. The greatest thing a person can do for another is to encourage him in his own relationship with God.  I have had certain situations where people wanted me to pray for something and I felt uncomfortable about it because I knew that their own prayers were enough. God is accessible to everyone. Of course, it is great to pray and believe with people, but prayer is prayer and there are no greater or less greats in prayer.  Jesus Christ said in John 16:26-27:

These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

We may have been at one time anti-God. God was and never is anti-us. He has never changed. When we really get to know Him through His own words and understand the purpose of His son's sacrifice and Lordship, we will be confident to lay open our hearts and pray with confidence.