Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Summary: Being a father is a tall order. As humans, we are beset with many hurdles and distractions. Meanwhile, God is our spiritual Father. He is never too busy for you or me.
Continue reading “Ephesians 6:4 – The Curse of Free Will”“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.”
Summary: At God’s command, Moses used the carrot and stick approach on the Israelites when they entered the land of Canaan. God uses something similar in this command to honor our parents.
Continue reading “Ephesians 6:2-3 – Carrot and Stick”Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Summary: In this passage, Paul makes us put on our thinking caps as we try to figure out what he means.
Continue reading “Ephesians 6:1 – Caveat”However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Summary: In this passage Paul makes a statement that is impossible to get around. We either accept it, or we don’t. What we choose to do says more about us and our faith than anything else.
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:33 – A Personal Challenge”This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.
Summary: Mysteries are mysterious for a reason. Paul seems to be pointing us to the answer to the mystery while, at the same time, asking us to solve it.
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:32 – Where the Ocean Meets the Sky”“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”
Summary: Following the bread crumbs in Paul’s thinking leads us to a meditation on how cancer affects the body. How does the metaphor of cancer provide guidance for the modern family and church?
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:31 – Uncontrolled Growth”… for we are members of his body.
Summary: Being a member of the body of Christ is more than simply saying, “I believe.” We must find a way to get along with other believers, too.
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:30 – The Need for Humility”… but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—
Summary: What does it mean to care for your body? A second look at this question reveals that Paul is right. Everyone does care for their body.
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:29b – Caring for the Church”After all, no one ever hated their own body,
Summary: Language can be tricky. Paul uses an expression in this passage that can be misunderstood if we are overly picky about words.
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:29a – The Meaning of Everyone”He who loves his wife loves himself.
Summary: Love is often misunderstood because our word for love does not distinguish between things and people. Paul is teaching us the difference.
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:28b – Real Love”