by Don Ruhl

Read Ephesians 5:17-33

Ephesians 5:21 is brief, but presents the solution to many church conflicts,

21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Eph. 5:21, NIV).

This is the spirit of submission, which is the spirit of cooperation. It does not take many members in a congregation to lack this spirit, before there is frustration, especially in the leadership. Yet, we cannot submit to God without submitting to one another. He who fails to submit to his fellow-disciples has no reverence for Jesus Christ.

It is imperative, therefore, that I examine my life and heart in this matter. Do I have a submissive spirit to the rest of the congregation where I worship?

by Don Ruhl

Read Isaiah 17-19

There is a wrestler and actor who calls himself, The Rock. Oh, really? Now, this guy may be good at wrestling (I am sure that he can whoop me) and he may be a good actor (Hollywood uses him and not you and me), but The Rock. However, his name overstates who he is. Let me show you what I mean. Listen to the consequences of forgetting the true Rock, and let me ask if there are the same consequences, or any consequence, for forgetting a man known as The Rock.

10 Because you have forgotten the God of your salvation, And have not been mindful of the Rock of your stronghold, Therefore you will plant pleasant plants And set out foreign seedlings; 11 In the day you will make your plant to grow, And in the morning you will make your seed to flourish; But the harvest will be a heap of ruins In the day of grief and desperate sorrow. (Isa. 17:10, 11, NKJV).

There are serious repercussions for not remembering the true Rock, but there are none for failing to remember a man. The Rock is perhaps a show name. Let us (and him) remember that is all it is. Extend this thinking to everything, for there is nothing and no one who has absolute power over us, but the great God of heaven, who is the true Rock.

by Don Ruhl

Read Ephesians Chapter 3

Have you spoken to the ruler of your country? How easy is it for every citizen of a country to speak the ruler...daily, if you so desire? If you had the chance to approach the ruler, would you be nervous?

What about approaching God? Does He care for me and listen to what I have to say? Let us turn that last question around. Do I care for God and listen to Him? If I can answer yes, then I can approach Him. Paul puts this way in Ephesians 3:12,

12 In [Jesus] and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3:12, NIV).

As a follower of the Son of God, I have freedom to approach the Maker of the Universe! Dwell on that for the rest of the day!