01/21 - The Role of the Woman
Sermon series: I Do, We Did, Now What?
January 22, 2012
God’s Door of Opportunity
…giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. Eph 5:20b-22 ESV
I once worked for a man who every time there was a door to walk through, he held the doors open and allowed everyone he was walking with to go through first. It did not matter if he was walking with the lowest ranked person in the company, the highest ranked, a man, or a woman; he held the doors open. He was our Vice President and he was committed to that habit—a habit I noted and never forgot.
In Christ you and I are to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” The Greek word for submission, hupotasso refers to willing to rank oneself under, or a voluntary yielding. I like to think when we voluntarily and willingly submit, we hold the spiritual door open for others.
As a wife, we do life, walk side by side with our spouse, and make countless decisions every day in unity. When there isn’t agreement, God is opening a door of opportunity to yield. A wife, out of reverence to Christ, can willingly hold open the spiritual doors that will allow a husband to lead the family through a decision. God is honored and a sweet fragrant offering is made. Those doors of opportunity open in our workplace, in ministry, on the sports field, and with family relationships.
When was the last time God gave you an opportunity to hold open the door for someone? How did you do?
Prayer: God, as wives we ask You to help us make yielding a holy habit out of respect for our spouse and Your Word. May it be a sweet and fragrant offering to You each time we choose to voluntarily and willingly submit to others out of reverence for Christ.