From Kevin Funk…

 

I’d like to briefly talk about Ephesians 5:22-29. Open up your bibles and take your time with this.

I can already hear the groans from the women. There have been hundreds of books written about these few verses. This may be one of the most controversial topics of today is that of the role between a husband and wife. But it’s crystal clear in Ephesians of how God wants and knows what a healthy marriage looks like. Someday I will go into greater detail but for now I want you to focus on is that Jesus is the head of the church.  Verse 23 says Jesus is head of the church and savior of His body, the church.

See, Jesus shows us what love is. Before Him, we had no clue. Let’s start with the perfect love that God has for us. Jesus lets us see that love. It’s like a groom’s love for his bride. Jesus loves us like the groom loves his bride. Any wedding that we go to we anticipate the bride coming down the aisle. Just as all the eyes are on the bride, I like to sneak a peek at the groom. You see the joy, passion, excitement he has for her.  Jesus has that same love for us. Except His love is a perfect love that will never stop or fail us. We all have a longing for that kind of love. An unending, committed, unselfish, perfected, humble love that cannot be found horizontally here on earth, but only in a vertical relationship with God.

If that love you have is handed to someone here in earth and they fail you (and it will happen) it leaves you feeling empty and hurt. If the love we get comes from Jesus then we are loved perfectly and that longing for love is completely met! This allows us to start loving others (instead of using others) with the overflow of love that we receive from God. That means we don’t have to be in a relationship all the time. Some of us, if we are honest with ourselves, fill a hole with relationships. We bounce from one relationship to another and try to fill that hole by giving our love away. Being single frees us up so we can give the time to Jesus that He needs to work and shape us so we can eventually be in a Christ centered relationship.

Christ is head of the church. He is the leader. We submit to His authority and leadership. One way He loves us is that He died for us. Jesus is the one who leads and we follow Him. So He takes on all of the responsibility because that’s what leaders do.  Our leader died on the cross and was crucified for all of our sin. John 15:13, there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Another way He loves us is that of a savior. We cannot save ourselves. It’s impossible. We cannot try to be really, really good and get to Heaven. We can’t buy our way in. Some seem to think there are multiple roads to Heaven. There is only one road. We need someone who is untainted by sin to take on the burdens of this world. One perfect sacrifice. Someone who is blameless. Jesus came to save us from the wrath of God. God’s only son was sent here for every human who has and ever will walk this earth. This shows us how much He loves us! John 14:6, Jesus says “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” That’s it! No other man made idea can compare.

I want you to rest in the fact that His love is enough. It’s enough to comfort you through the difficult times of life. It all starts by submitting your everything to God and not looking back. His love is more than enough!