We have developed a world of throw-a-ways, of items to use and then discard. Even in relationships, we consider them temporary, useful as long as they benefit us. As with material items, we often abandon our relationships too quickly, feeling they do not provide enough pleasure in our go-around-once lives. In our modern era, we function in a world of plastic, things created for momentary enjoyment. Sadly this attitude infiltrates our identities and relationships. We quickly jettison objects, ideas, relationships if we decide they no longer contribute to our needs. As with physical items, our social constructs and personalities are often artificial, plastic, temporary; even in our attire and makeup. We build on the idea of not being us, who we really are, not finding satisfaction as an ordinary human being. Our social media pages ask us to do something unique: to be social media stars. Maybe millions will hit our blog if we are insanely different from all other humans. Along with the idea of being different, comes the contrary spirit of conformity to society’s demands for acceptance. They are opposite sides of the same coin. Different becomes just another way of conforming to what society wants us to be. Society obligates our young people, our teenagers, by pressuring them to wear masks, hiding their own identities, their own personalities, behind these facades. Acceptability comes with being like the crowd, identifying with what is the current style—neat, cool, and the like. While these youthful desires for acceptance have always been part of growing up, the current pressures of social media and media in general to conform to the constructs of others presents a much greater push for conformity than in of the past. Relationships, physical and social, are scrutinized and evaluated 24-hours a day. No teenager can get very far from someone’s comments about who he or she is and whether he or she fits into someone else’s expectations. Some of these comments cut to the core, deflating self-esteem, even leading to suicidal thoughts. Teenagers are more susceptible to what is in and what is out, but because of social media, everyone is pushed and pulled to get the most out of life. Adults are deciding every day what pill or substance will make their lives easier, more at peace, more enjoyable. The world is experiencing a condition of drug-overdosing. Alcohol remains the favorite drug for most people for excessive self-medication. As with all drugs, consumption of alcohol gives moments when people can leave the responsibilities of life to fall back into thinking only about eating, drinking, and being merry. However, living a lifestyle only for self and its gratifications leads nowhere spiritually. An artificial and self-created life is foreign to a meaningful everyday life. Wanting satisfying, orderly, and productive lives for Christians, Peter begins today’s passage with, Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands. Paul told the men, Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. (Ephesians 5:25) Otherwise, consider the fundamentals on which you base your Christian life. As with all humans, you were like sheep going astray. Now, bring structure to your lives by allowing God to direct you in everything, for God is the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (See 1 Peter 2:25) Trust that his ways are best for you to avoid an artificial and meaningless life. SUBMISSION to each other and to God is best for you and your family. Your family is an organization with God as the head. Let God bring peace and order to your homes.
Submission to others sustains life, but self-willed rebellion causes peaceful life to cease not only in your inner being but in society as a whole. In countries with the most prosperity and self-gratification in lifestyle, people are making choices that will not perpetuate their numbers. To sustain a population, to keep a group of people from going out of existence, an average of 2.3 babies need to be born to every couple. In these advanced countries, a going-around-once-in-life attitude prevails, and the idea of having children has declined. The idea of having two or three cars is more important to many young married couples than having babies. A bigger, fancier house often wins out over children. Having leisure time and great vacations can obliterate the idea of a baby in the house. Many times when a couple wants you to see their dearly loved baby, it is a dog or cat. Recently, some people behind us at the grocery store were talking, and we heard a woman say, “He is a little shy around strangers. He’s a mama’s boy.” Looking around, expecting to see a cute little boy, I saw a woman holding a dog, a dog that should not be in the store, I might add. I was so irritated by the whole exchange. Sure, love your pets, but keep things in perspective. Of course, a pet is much easier to integrate into a busy, self-serving lifestyle and gives affection if we feed and pet it daily, but a dog should not be seen as our child. That is a sad reflection on one of God’s greatest gifts—a precious baby. But pets offer an escape just as our movies and other entertainment provide sensuous flights for the imagination, designed to take us outside the everyday grind of real life. We do not find exciting fantasy or super heroes on the job, in the home, or while doing chores. Do we look for an escape? In the above focus, Peter addresses the reality of life on this planet where we see the necessity of interacting in a harmonious way. Peter says the Holy Spirit wants us to accept people as they are, not by how they look or the fashions they follow. Peter tells us there must be order, submission, direction, and harmony within society. When considering Peter and Paul’s comments about submission to higher authority or organizational authority, such as in the church or the family, people often concentrate on the condition of wives and slaves submitting to others. We forget that according to Christian dogma, all of us are to submit to authority and to one another. Christians are taught to place others above their own needs and wants. Christians do not place ourselves above others because of earthly positions or roles, but we submit to others—wives to husbands, husbands to wives. Christ came as a servant; we are to be servants to each other. You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. (Galatians 5:13)
Order and structure are important in every situation, but the Holy Spirit has brought absolute equality to women, for He fell on them, just as He did upon men. In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. (Acts 2:17) There are no second-class citizens in the kingdom of God. All are equally important; all are to come under his guidance and authority. No one should wear a mask or pretend he or she is someone or something other than the unique person God created. God’s kingdom is not artificial or made up under the conventions or restraints of human beings. We are free to be who God wants us to be. We do not base our worth on our personal attractiveness or our roles or responsibilities in this world. Our attraction to each other, men and women alike, should be based on our inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. Christians are slaves to Christ. Paul writes to us all, Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:2-3) Men are physically stronger—bigger and more muscular than women, built to defend the community, family, individuals. They are built to fight, to protect others. This is a role God has given them. They are to be leaders in this role. They also are to have a primary role of sustaining the health and protection of the family. Women are to provide additional strength and knowledge to support and nurture the direction of the family. These roles in the family are unique and different, and at times they cross over. But each person functions together to bring harmony to a family. If the roles are not coordinated as one, as man and wife are one when joined in marriage, a double standard of direction will bring chaos into a family, culminating in a duplicitous environment. Children do not thrive well in situations of unrest, disputes, and anger. A child needs a peaceful journey through the developing years. So now we get to submission. Yes, wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands; yes, husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church, but in all this activity, no matter the role in the family, submission to the Holy Spirit’s attributes is paramount: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) If you do not, you are out of order, and you will not live victoriously with God for he is a God of order, harmony, and love.
Submission to others sustains life, but self-willed rebellion causes peaceful life to cease not only in your inner being but in society as a whole. In countries with the most prosperity and self-gratification in lifestyle, people are making choices that will not perpetuate their numbers. To sustain a population, to keep a group of people from going out of existence, an average of 2.3 babies need to be born to every couple. In these advanced countries, a going-around-once-in-life attitude prevails, and the idea of having children has declined. The idea of having two or three cars is more important to many young married couples than having babies. A bigger, fancier house often wins out over children. Having leisure time and great vacations can obliterate the idea of a baby in the house. Many times when a couple wants you to see their dearly loved baby, it is a dog or cat. Recently, some people behind us at the grocery store were talking, and we heard a woman say, “He is a little shy around strangers. He’s a mama’s boy.” Looking around, expecting to see a cute little boy, I saw a woman holding a dog, a dog that should not be in the store, I might add. I was so irritated by the whole exchange. Sure, love your pets, but keep things in perspective. Of course, a pet is much easier to integrate into a busy, self-serving lifestyle and gives affection if we feed and pet it daily, but a dog should not be seen as our child. That is a sad reflection on one of God’s greatest gifts—a precious baby. But pets offer an escape just as our movies and other entertainment provide sensuous flights for the imagination, designed to take us outside the everyday grind of real life. We do not find exciting fantasy or super heroes on the job, in the home, or while doing chores. Do we look for an escape? In the above focus, Peter addresses the reality of life on this planet where we see the necessity of interacting in a harmonious way. Peter says the Holy Spirit wants us to accept people as they are, not by how they look or the fashions they follow. Peter tells us there must be order, submission, direction, and harmony within society. When considering Peter and Paul’s comments about submission to higher authority or organizational authority, such as in the church or the family, people often concentrate on the condition of wives and slaves submitting to others. We forget that according to Christian dogma, all of us are to submit to authority and to one another. Christians are taught to place others above their own needs and wants. Christians do not place ourselves above others because of earthly positions or roles, but we submit to others—wives to husbands, husbands to wives. Christ came as a servant; we are to be servants to each other. You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. (Galatians 5:13)
Order and structure are important in every situation, but the Holy Spirit has brought absolute equality to women, for He fell on them, just as He did upon men. In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. (Acts 2:17) There are no second-class citizens in the kingdom of God. All are equally important; all are to come under his guidance and authority. No one should wear a mask or pretend he or she is someone or something other than the unique person God created. God’s kingdom is not artificial or made up under the conventions or restraints of human beings. We are free to be who God wants us to be. We do not base our worth on our personal attractiveness or our roles or responsibilities in this world. Our attraction to each other, men and women alike, should be based on our inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. Christians are slaves to Christ. Paul writes to us all, Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:2-3) Men are physically stronger—bigger and more muscular than women, built to defend the community, family, individuals. They are built to fight, to protect others. This is a role God has given them. They are to be leaders in this role. They also are to have a primary role of sustaining the health and protection of the family. Women are to provide additional strength and knowledge to support and nurture the direction of the family. These roles in the family are unique and different, and at times they cross over. But each person functions together to bring harmony to a family. If the roles are not coordinated as one, as man and wife are one when joined in marriage, a double standard of direction will bring chaos into a family, culminating in a duplicitous environment. Children do not thrive well in situations of unrest, disputes, and anger. A child needs a peaceful journey through the developing years. So now we get to submission. Yes, wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands; yes, husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church, but in all this activity, no matter the role in the family, submission to the Holy Spirit’s attributes is paramount: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) If you do not, you are out of order, and you will not live victoriously with God for he is a God of order, harmony, and love.
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