Devotional #49, 50, and 51

4/29/2024

Opening Prayer
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Song: "Your Grace Is Enough"

Devotional #49: "Wives & Husbands"

Scripture

Colossians 3:18-4:1 (ESV)

18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters,[a] not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

1 Masters, treat your bondservants[b] justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

Devotional #49: "Wives & Husbands"

In Colossians 3:1-17, Paul outlined the virtues that the Christian community were to exercise. We are to put off our old selves and put on the virtues that have been appropriated to us in Christ. Paul hammers home the idea that we can indeed change and become rich in our relationships as we “do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” (3:17). Paul concludes this section by focusing the Christian household, specifically, marriage, parenthood, and work.

Wives are to submit to their husbands as is “fitting in the Lord.” Husbands are to love their wives and not be “harsh with them.” We cannot take these two charges out of the context of Colossians 3:1-17. Spouses are first called to live the Christian life depending on the finished work of Jesus. Each spouse must seek to be compassionate, humble, meek, patient, and forgiving (3:13).

The wife’s submission to the husband is not a blind submission, but a wise and discerning one. She is to defer to her husband humbly and lovingly as is appropriate in Christ. Her goal is for her husband to lead her and her family in accordance with the gospel. Together, they cooperate to create a marriage of mutual love and respect that demonstrates the peace and power of the gospel.

Husbands are to love their wives and not be harsh with them. Paul’s command is for the husband not to abuse their authority over their wives and thus stifle her gifts and the safety of the marriage. The mutual love and roles for husband and wives are meant to build the marriage in Christ and to demonstrate the beautiful love of Christ and His Church.

Questions

Why is protecting and nurturing the institution of marriage so important for the church?
How can we nurture our marriages? How can we prepare ourselves for marriage? How can we train our children for marriage?

Devotional #50: "Parents & Children"

Scripture

Colossians 3:18-4:1 (ESV)

Devotional #50: "Parents & Children"

Children are to obey the parents in the Lord in everything. Paul is not envisioning a scenario where the kids are not under a Christian household. Just as he spoke of in marriage, Paul is still talking within the confines of the church where Christ’s love and ethics are upheld. The children are also of age where they can understand this charge and know that their parents are seeking to follow the ways of Christ. This is the context in which children are to obey their parents, knowing they have his or her best interest in mind.

Parents are also not to provoke or exasperate their children, lest they become discouraged. Harsh discipline and words of discouragement should not be a part of our parenting and if so, parents need to be quick to ask for forgiveness. Children should know they are being loved and led in the ways of God’s grace and mercy. Parenting is undoubtedly difficult and both parents and children will learn that the only perfect parent is their Father in Heaven who loves us all.

Questions

When have you felt most discouraged and encouraged by your parents? How does knowing that only God, our Father in Heaven, is the only perfect Father help us to understand and love our parents?
Children, how can you obey your parents better? Parents, how can you better love your children to encourage them in Christ?

Devotional #51: "Gracious 'Masters'”

Scripture

Colossians 3:18-4:1 (ESV)

Devotional #51: "Gracious 'Masters'”

The final household relationship that Paul tackles is between the masters and the bondservants who live under their roof. Today, we can think of this as the workplace. For those of us who work for others, God calls us to work as if we were working for God, “fearing the Lord” (3:22). We are not to be people-pleasers nor work half-heartily. For those who are employers, we are to treat our employees “justly and fairly, knowing that [we] also have a Master in heaven.”

More specifically, Paul is talking of an economy under a Christian household and not necessarily with our business dealings in the world, although much still applies. When we are acting as employers we are to be fair and just. Think of how you treat people you hire for yardwork, the employees at restaurants, or anyone else who renders service. We are to treat them well and to pay them fairly.

Questions

We have all interacted with people at shops or paid for people to help us. How are some ways we can treat them better?
How can we be better employees and wise as we seek to serve our employers?

Prayer Time
(Closing prayer by head of household)
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Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.