I Kings 10-11  Chapter 10 is the story of the Queen of Sheba and her visit to Solomon.   I wonder at the significance of this woman and why this story is included both here and in the book of Chronicles.
She came with questions and left with answers.  Significantly, she blesses the Name of the Lord as she goes.   Jesus mentions this visit in Matthew 12:24 " The Queen of the South shall rise up with this generation at the judgment and shall condemn it because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and behold, something greater than Solomon is here."  

This woman had great wealth and power.  She was apparently well educated, well aware of what was going on in other nations besides her own.  She may have wanted to increase trade with Israel.  But, whatever the circumstances, the most important thing is that she recognized the Hand of God.   Jesus, in referencing this, warns his listeners that they are failing to see what she saw.  They had God's Son right in their sight, in their very presence.. but were too blind to see Him. 


Chapter 11 is the sad story of Solomon's failure.  He takes all these wives.  He turns to all their false gods.  He loses the favor of God. Only one tribe will remain in the control of David's descendants.  The rest will be torn away .  The peace that Solomon had enjoyed was also shattered.  God raises up Hadad the Edomite, Rezon from Zobah, and Jeroboam from the Ephramites.  All of these would bring about the end of a united Israel.   God brought judgement, just like He said He would, because Solomon turned away from Him.

40 years after the glorious beginning of Solomon's reign, Solomon dies.  His son Rehoboam is next in line for the throne.  As far as I can tell this is Solomon's only son. 700 wives and 300 concubines.. and one son.  Would like to know the rest of that story....

Father  in Heaven, we do acknowledge You, the Lord of all the earth.  There is none like You.  Open our eyes Lord, to see You clearly, to know You more each day, and to walk with You in faith and devotion.  O Lord God, Almighty One, lead us not into temptations but deliver us from the evil one. We lift up our souls to You and You alone. We ask this in the blessed Name of Jesus. Amen.

I Kings 9  The Lord appears to Solomon for the 2nd time after the dedication of the temple.  Once again, He reviews His promises for the king and the people of Israel.
If - they obey and walk the worthy walk - then - He will bless.
But, if - they turn away from following Him and turn to other gods - then, He will cast them out.

The temple, God declares will be the place that He will put His Name, His authority, His eyes and His heart - forever... but, with disobedience, will come destruction. Yet, even in the destruction there will be a lesson for the nations.  Forsaking God will always bring adversity. 

This is the truth that we can grasp on to - cling to God, follow His Word, make it a matter of your heart and your soul to walk in the Light of His Truth.  It may not always be easy and it may not be comfortable or even reasonable... but it will always be worth it!  The alternative is to follow another.. whether that is our own ego or another god, the result will be adversity, destruction, and death.  We must not fool ourselves, for that is Satan's goal - and it will happen unless we stay faithful to the One True God.

Father in heaven,  lead us always in the paths of righteousness and deliver us from temptation and from the deceiver.  Gird us always with Your Truth.  Keep our eyes on Jesus, our Great Savior, the example of Righteousness and Peace.  Be glorified in us and in all the earth!  Be exalted O God! For You are great and gracious, merciful, and loving.  Make Your Presence known in our needy and lost world we ask in the Name of the Beautiful One, Jesus. Amen.

I Kings 4-8  Solomon builds the temple in Jerusalem.  All the descriptions are given and hard for me to visualize, but must have been absolutely beautiful.  In Chapter 8 we read about the dedication of this structure and Solomon's prayer.  Solomon seemed to have a good understanding of God.  His prayer is right on target.  It is hard to believe that Solomon would ever allow an idol into the kingdom... How does anyone go from this solid faith and devotion to the only True God to anything else?  We need to take heed of this, as a warning... for it can happen so subtly as sin creeps in at any small opening in our armor.

But, nevertheless, at this time in Solomon's life, he offers a prayer from a sincere heart and it is full of faith and truth.  The beautiful temple of Solomon no longer stands in Jerusalem.  It was corrupted and removed.. a treasure on earth that was subject to earthly moths and rust.  But, we have a treasure in heaven that will never rust and the moths can never touch.. a True Temple, a True place of God's Presence that we can look towards.. where God's Name is found.. Jesus Christ our Lord.  So the things that Solomon prayed, we can also pray, not looking towards a temple made by the hands of a man, but looking towards Jesus, who is greater!

"O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like Thee in heaven above or on earth beneath, who are keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Thy servants who walk before Thee with all their heart.."   Truth - The Lord is God.  There is none like Him.  He is faithful to do all that He has said.  We need to believe that with all of our hearts and walk in that Light.  Nothing is more important!

"Listen to the cry and to the prayer which Thy servant prays before Thee today;" ( v28)
" And listen to the supplication.... hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place; hear and forgive." ( v30)
"... then hear Thou in heaven and act... " (v32)
"... then hear Thou in heaven and forgive the sin of Thy people.." ( v34)
".. then hear.. and forgive and... teach them the good way in which they should walk..." (v36)
".. whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Thy people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart, and spreading his hands towards this house; then hear in heaven Thy dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart Thou knows, for Thou alone dost know hearts of all the sons of men...." ( v37b-39)

"When they sin against Thee (for there is no man who does not sin) and Thou art angry with them ... if they take thought.. and repent and make supplication to Thee... if they return to Thee with all their heart and with all their soul... and pray to Thee... then hear their prayer and their supplication in heaven Thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause and forgive Thy people who have sinned against Thee... and make them objects of compassion..."  (v46-50)

This is a truly heartfelt, Spirit led prayer.... the kind of prayer that is an example that we need to follow. Our Father hears our prayers from heaven.  He listens and acts. He forgives and teaches and shows compassion on us.  He knows our hearts.  But how often do we pray this way?  How often does our prayer time end up a laundry list of "Bless...so and so.."  We have the privilege of praying in the Name of Jesus. Let us pray prayers from the heart.

O Father, teach us to pray!

I Kings 3   Solomon may have only been 20 years old or so when he became king.  We learn here that his first marriage is to the daughter of Pharaoh as a political alliance.  Later, in  Chapter 11, we are told that Solomon married 700 wives and had 300 concubines also. Solomon " held fast to these in love." The daughter of Pharaoh is included along with women of many nationalities.  With all the wisdom that God had given to him, Solomon acted from his emotional attachment to his wives and allowed them to turn his heart from God to worship idols.

But, here in chapter 3 it is written that "Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places."   That one exception perhaps was the foothold that Satan would use to turn Solomon's heart as he yielded to the temptations aroused by his many foreign wives.

Nevertheless, Solomon begins well.  He goes to Gibeon to present offerings, sacrifices to the Lord.  II Chronicles 1 explains that the tabernacle that Moses had made was standing in Gibeon, about 5 miles from Jerusalem. Although the Ark of the Covenant had been moved to Jerusalem and placed in a tent that David had constructed for it, all of the other furniture, including the altar, was still at Gibeon.  While in Gibeon, Solomon has a dream from the Lord.  In the dream, God says to Solomon, "Ask what you wish me to give you."  And we know how Solomon answers well, asking for wisdom and understanding in order to lead the people of Israel .  We also remember that this pleased the Lord and  was immediately granted, along with wealth and honor.

God is willing to extend His blessings on Solomon even while knowing that Solomon will fail.  There is an important condition that the Lord always extends - "And if you walk in My ways.... "  God's blessings are abundant and wonderful and amazing.. but they are given only to those who obey.  Deuteronomy 28: 1-2 " Now it shall be, if you will diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments.. all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the Lord your God."

This is the Truth that we need to grasp today - God is the source of every blessing, every good gift comes from His hands.  And, He is willing to give, He is able to give, and in fact, He desires to give us the desires of our hearts... but, we must realize our part, which is to walk in His ways! Completely yielded to His Spirit's leading, following our Savior, Jesus Christ, even as sheep follow their shepherd.

Father, God of Glory,  You are mysterious in Your majesty and power and wisdom.  We can no more grasp the mystery of the Trinity, of Who You really are,  than we can grasp how a few little cells become a beautiful baby, or how the planets revolve around the sun, or how a heart beats...   You are awesome in all Your works, creating stars and planets, galaxies far beyond our imaginations can travel.  You have made us to know You and to love You and to serve You forever.  And this is our desire. My desire is to know You more and to love You more.  Take my body, a living and holy sacrifice , acceptable to You, my spiritual service of worship.  Renew my mind, transform my life continually from glory to glory,  according to Your will.  Amen.

I Kings 2  David gives instructions to Solomon before he dies.  " .. keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, so that the Lord may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, If your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel." ( v3-4)   David's primary concern for Solomon was his spiritual walk with God.  Everything hinged on Solomon's relationship with Yahweh.

David also left some practical instructions for Solomon as to the kingdom.  The enemies of David had to be dealt with.. Joab, Shimei, Adonijah, and Abiathar.  

Joab, who had been a friend of David, had made himself an enemy by acting out of revenge and anger, killing Abner and Amasa.  His punishment was ordered and he was killed.

Shimei, had cursed David when he had to leave Jerusalem because of Absolom.  David had let him live, but Solomon needed to deal with him.  Solomon allowed Shimei to live, but ordered him to never leave the gates of Jerusalem.  After 3 years Shimei disobeyed and was put to death. Solomon's verdict against him was " You know all the evil which your acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my father David; therefore the Lord shall return your evil on your own head." (v44). 

Adonijah, Solomon's brother, had begged for mercy and received it when Solomon became king.  However, he was still looking for a way to take over, believing that the throne truly belonged to him.  He tried to sneak into the position by asking Bathsheba to go to the king and ask that Abishag the Shunammite be given him as a wife.  Abishag had been David's concubine, serving as a nurse to David in his last days.  For Adonijah to ask for this woman would be the same as asking for the kingdom, so Solomon states, " And why are you asking Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him also the kingdom- for he is my older brother - even for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah!"  Adonijah's request was a challenge for the throne.  Solomon acted wisely and immediately, ordering that he be put to death.

Abiathar the priest was dismissed from serving any more as a priest.  He was not executed, but sent away.  Solomon spared him because he had carried the ark of God.

There was one family that David asked Solomon to honor, because their father had helped David, the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite.

When Solomon had taken care of all these we are told, "Thus the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon."

Truth:  God's desire for each of us is for us to walk before Him in truth, with all of our heart and with all of our soul.  His will is for us to "keep the charge"; to keep watch, like a sentry over our own hearts and souls; that we might walk in His ways.   The message to Solomon is the same message to each of us in Ephesians, the worthy walk - in love and in the Light, fully armored with Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and prayer.

Father in Heaven,  You are worthy of all our praise and worship, for You alone are God. Your ways are perfect and good.  We desire to do Your will, to live Your way, and to be careful to obey all of Your Word.  Help us to do this Holy Spirit, we ask in the Name of Jesus the Lord, amen.

I Kings 1  David has come to the last years of his life.  He  was physically weak and apparently bedridden.  One of David's sons, Adonijah, decides to take over the position of king, without the knowledge or blessing of his father.  The fact that he does this secretly and behind his father's back, reveals much about his character.  Adonijah took Joab, his father's cousin and former head of David's army and Abiathar, the priest with him to a place called the "stone of Zoheleth"  ( the serpent stone) to offer sacrifices and to proclaim himself as king.  The fact that he offered sacrifices outside of the tabernacle again reveals a defect in Adonijah's character and a lack of faithfulness to the Lord God of Israel.  Adonijah invited most of his brothers to this event.  The list of those not invited is also very telling:
Zadok the priest - unlike Abiathar, who descended from the same line as Eli, Zadok was a descendent of Aaron from the line of Eleazar.  This line of priests would continue, while the prophecy about Eli and the end of their line of high priests comes to a close with Abiathar.
Benaiah and Shimei and Rei - all loyal to David and part of his government in Jerusalem.
Nathan the prophet - a faithful man of God
The mighty men - loyal soldiers that had followed and helped David for many years
And lastly - Solomon - his brother.

David had at least 15 sons, including those of his concubines.  From all of these, Solomon seems to be the only one excluded from Adonijah's coup of the kingdom.  Nathan is the one who breaks this news, coming to Bathsheba first.  Bathsheba realizes the seriousness of this situation, she tells David, "..as soon as my the lord the king sleeps with his fathers, ... I and my son Solomon will be considered offenders".  Unless action was taken by David immediately, Solomon and his mother were doomed.
David had apparently promised to make Solomon king after him.  It was a vow he made "by the Lord God of Israel".  David takes action and Solomon is proclaimed king that very day.  He is anointed by Zadok and Nathan.  He is placed on David's mule and he is seated on David's throne.  When the whole city shouts with joy over this turn of events, those at Adonijah's event turn and run.  Adonijah himself runs to the tabernacle and clings to the altar there.  He wants Solomon to swear not to kill him ( although that had been his intention for Solomon before the turn of events).   Solomon doesn't make any promises, " If he will be a worthy man, not one of his hairs will fall to the ground; but if wickedness is found in him he will die." 

Adonijah is found to be wicked and is killed. We know that Solomon turned out to be a better choice, at least for a while.

The truth we can gain from this passage is this:  God always knows what is in our hearts.  He knows what is found in us - worthiness or wickedness.  His grace is given to us so that we can turn from wickedness to worthiness.  We have so much to be thankful for!

Father, thank you for sending a Redeemer, for giving us forgiveness and making us pure and holy before You.  We cannot stand firm in faith except by Your great compassion upon us.  Fill our hearts with Your love, guide our steps in Your paths, and help us to walk as worthy men and women before You. In Jesus we come. Amen

Ephesians 6:10 - 24  " Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might."   In order to walk the worthy walk, to love and to serve, to submit and obey, and to please the Lord.. we must have His help.  Paul tells us to "be strong".  We are weak and we know it.   But we need to increase in power, and that power is found in the Lord.  It is strength found in His "might",  His great might and dominion.  Our God is omnipotent.  Tozer says,

 " Omnipotence is not a name given to the sum of all power, but an attribute of a personal God whom we Christians believe to be the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and of all who believe on Him to life eternal. The worshiping man finds this knowledge a source of wonderful strength for his inner life. His faith rises to take the great leap upward into the fellowship of Him who can do whatever He wills to do, for whom nothing is hard or difficult because He possesses power absolute." 

 It is our faith in the limitless God, who has the power to do whatever He wills to do... that Paul encourages and commands us to walk in.. for there is no other way.  How do we do this?  We must 

"put on the full armor of God".   The armor of God is the key to enable us to "stand firm against the schemes of the devil" and "to resist in the evil day".  To stand firm is to stay upright.  To not surrender or bow or fall to the trickery of our enemy or to our own struggles with wickedness.  God's strength has been given to us, his power released in us, so that we can succeed... 

God's power, that gives us strength to keep standing is released in His Truth.  We need to gird our loins - to  fasten Truth around ourselves like a belt.  Jesus tells us that He, Himself is the Truth.  We are to surround ourselves with that which is True.  Peter says in I Peter 1:13 that we are to "gird your minds".  We need to God's Truth in us, every day, so that we can stand firm.   Jesus calls Satan the father of lies, the deceiver.  We know that he ( Satan) is like a roaring lion, seeking those that he can destroy.  He deceived Eve in the garden and he seeks to deceive us in the same way.  He uses trickery, he lies in wait for us, seeking a foot hold, an open door, so he can come and destroy us.  Our first and primary weapon of defense is God's Truth.  We must know Him and continue to grow in our knowledge of Him through His Word and through the Spirit Who lives in us.  This is the way to keep standing firm...

The second thing that we must take up is "righteousness".  Isaiah wrote this, (59:16-17)  "and He saw that there was no man, and was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him; and His righteousness upheld Him. And He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; and He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle."   We are not able to stand firm with self-righteous rags.  We must have the Righteousness of God Himself.  It is the breastplate belonging to our Redeemer, His righteousness, that we must put on. It is Jesus Christ the Lord Who gives us His righteousness and we must receive it by faith in Him alone. 

As we stand in God's truth and are clothed in His righteousness, we are ready to put on our shoes.  But these shoes are special.  They are shoes that prepare us to speak "peace".   Again, Paul looks to Isaiah's writing, " How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, 'Your God reigns'" ( 52:7).  We are putting on armor, but we stand up on shoes of peace.  Our message is good news.  God reigns!  His kingdom is brings quietness and rest - peace! Not war!

We must know the Truth in order to know what righteousness really is and we must accept His righteousness for ourselves before we have good news for others.  We must take "up the shield of faith" to "extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one".   Psalm 120:3b-4 says ".... you deceitful tongue... Sharp arrows of the warrior, with the burning coals of the broom tree..."   Again, this reminds us that our enemy is the Liar, who wants to deceive us.  Our faith... in God's Truth and His righteousness, in Christ our Lord... is the very instrument that extinguishes the lies of Satan. 

The helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, God's Word, complete the armor.  We put them on through prayer.. "all prayer and petition"  praying at all times, in the Spirit.  Alert prayer.  Persevering prayer.  Personal prayer.  Power-filled, strengthening prayer.  In the Name of Jesus, who is the Truth, who is our righteousness, and who has given us true peace, so that we might stand firm, becoming strong in His might.  

Father, thank You. Fill our hearts with Your grace and fill our minds with Your Truth. Clothe us with the righteousness of Your beloved Son. Strengthen us with Your unlimited power so that we can keep standing firm.  Amen. 

Ephesians 6:5-9  The worthy walk, the life that pleases God and is worthy of His calling, will include husbands lovingly protecting and encouraging their families in the Lord; wives receiving and respecting their husbands; children obeying their parents and learning the ways of the Lord.  Paul goes outside of the family setting for his last examples... slaves and masters.

Paul's word to slaves includes:
obedience
sincerity of heart
good will ( kindness)
serving the Lord

If we are a slave or servant, we can be a good one or a bad one.  We choose.  We can serve with willing obedience or we can grudgingly and angrily do what we have to do. Paul encourages those in service to another, willingly or not, to please the Lord.  "...knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free."  Whatever we do, we must recognize that ultimately it is the Lord who we serve.  It is the attitude of our hearts that matter.  "Sincerity" includes generosity, bountifulness, and simplicity.  God does not look on our position, indeed, "there is no partiality with Him".  He looks at our hearts.

The "master" is judged in the same way as the slave. Attitudes of kindness and sincerity are pleasing to God.  "Threatening" or acting other evil ways towards another is unacceptable in the eyes of the Lord.

Again, we need to be continually kept filled with the Holy Spirit, in order to live the right way.  We must go back to Paul's prayer in chapter 3:  Lord, grant us, according to the riches of Your glory, to be strengthened with power through Your Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ dwells in our hearts and that His love fills our very being, and we are filled to the full with God. 

We are Your servants, Heavenly Father.  We come to You with willing hearts, to follow Jesus in ways of righteousness and truth.  May we have sincere and pure hearts to serve You fully.  Help us, Holy Spirit, to hear Your voice, leading us in the ways that are worthy of our God.  Forgive us our sins and may we forgive those who have sinned against us.  Lead us away from the temptations and deliver us from evil. You alone are worthy of honor and glory and power.  May Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

Ephesians 6
Verses 1-4  Children are commanded to honor their parents.. this is one of the 10 foundational commands that God gave Israel.  Paul says, "Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.."  To "honor" is to give worth to.. it is an attitude that elevates the parent over the child, as the authority. The child is to subject himself to the parents "headship".  The practical application would be obedience.  This is God's will for the family... in Him.   But, then Paul adds a second thought, perhaps a warning.. "And, fathers do not provoke your children to anger..."  In Col. 3:21 this is written, "Fathers, do not exasperate your children, that they may not lose heart."   

We commonly take this to mean that fathers need to be careful not to be overly harsh or to discourage their children by their impossible standards, but, could  it be more than that?  The thought that comes to my mind is that fathers and mothers need to be diligent to not lead their children into wrathful living.. into unrestrained anger or violent and unhealthy emotional outbursts.  We must be the examples... having the fruit of self-control our own-selves.. and be teachers, coming along side them and helping them to deal with anger.  We can see this clearly in our own every day dealings with people.  A father who has "anger issues", who may be abusive or destructive, will pass that along to his children.  It happens all the time. Most abusers have been abused.  Likewise, if we see a father who has learned healthy ways to deal with anger, who has self-control and who teaches his children by words and actions... that child will not "lose heart" or be exasperated or "provoked to anger".

God has given us the means to do exactly this, " .. but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."   Instruction - calling attention to, giving warning, or mildly rebuking.    In Genesis 18:19 the Lord says this about Abraham, " For I have chosen him in order that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice;..."  As the parents teach their children God's Word and His ways, raising them to follow the Lord and walk a worthy walk, then anger and exasperation will be dealt with and instead the blessing will be given, for God's Word for those who honor their parents is "That it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth".  

Father in Heaven,  You are the perfect Father who loves us and Who never provokes us to anger. As Your children we are given all that we need to live blessed lives instead of cursed, wrath-filled lives.  Thank You.  We honor You and bless Your holy Name.  Forgive us our sins and failures, especially in this area of uncontrolled anger.  Heal us and heal our children, O Lord!  See the great need in our world today and send forth workers into Your harvest field we pray.  Amen.

Ephesians 5:22-33  Marriage.  Christ and the Church.  A man and his wife.  How are these two entities the same?  Paul tells us that this is a great mystery, and a wonderful truth for holy living.

"Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord."   The unbelieving world bristles at this command!  They think that this statement is sexist and harmful to a woman.  They have believed the lies and deceptions of Satan, instead of the Truth of God's Word.

 To "be subject", means to place yourself under or subordinate to another.  In this case, a wife to her husband... as to the Lord.  The family unit is meant to reflect the beautiful, intimate relationship of Jesus and His Bride, the church.
Jesus is the "head" of the church - the kephale, the part most easily seized or taken hold of..
He is the Savior.
He is the Sanctifier - cleansing her with His Word.
His desire is to present her "in all her glory" - spotless, holy, and blameless.
He loves her and gave Himself for her.. for us.
It is Jesus, Who as the head, protects His precious bride by placing Himself in the place of danger, covering her with His own body, leading her in paths of righteousness, with all gentleness and patience. 

This is the husband's role as head of his family.  There is no disrespect or demeaning thought towards women in this at all.  If fact, it is the opposite!  God's plan is to provide for His daughters in the most wonderful and loving way.  It is for this reason He created marriage.  A man who loves his wife as he loves his own body will "nourish and cherish"  her.  He will provide everything he can to protect her, encourage her, and make her glorious.. especially in her spiritual life. His desire for his wife will reflect Christ's desire for the church - that she be spotless, blameless, and holy.  That is the kind of love that every woman should want and willingly subject herself to! This is not done by tyranny and dictatorship.. that is not how Christ works.  He gave Himself.. this is the example to follow. 

The wife's role is to accept this God appointed position given to her husband.  As Christians we subject ourselves, we willingly place ourselves, under the Lord Jesus, accepting Him as our Savior, Who gave Himself for our sins.  As wives, we are to willingly place ourselves under the protection and care of our husbands who are following the example of Jesus, loving, nourishing, cherishing, and giving themselves for us. 

Paul sums this up with " Nevertheless let each individual among you also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see to it that she respect her husband." verse 33.   The husband's responsibility precedes the wife's response.  When a man loves his wife in the way described above, it will be easy to "respect" him. The full meaning of this word includes the idea of reverence and awe and fear.  If he is all that God desires him to be, then she will respond appropriately.  This is part of what the "worthy walk" is all about.  This is what pleases God.  And we cannot do it without the Spirit of God filling us, strengthening us in our inner man or woman by His power, continually!

Father, thank You for marriage.  Thank You for the beautiful example that Jesus has provided for us.
Help us to believe the Truth and refute the lies. Lead us in Your ways of righteousness and holiness.
We need Your Light and Your Spirit, so we ask once again that You keep filling us with Yourself, so that we can walk in a manner worthy of our calling in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Ephesians 5 Truth - Christ loves us and "gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma".    

Because of this, we, who believe, are called God's children, and are enabled to imitate Him.  Only those who have received His Son and His Spirit, those who have become new creatures, having died to sin, can live in this way.  This is the only way to walk in a manner worthy of our Holy God.

Again, Paul emphasizes and contrasts the difference that Christ makes in a human life.

We all start out the same - in darkness, disobedient, and slaves to satan - immoral, impure, greedy;  we have no share of the "inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God".  No, instead we were under the "wrath of God".  

But, when we are redeemed and set free by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and belong to Him, we are no longer in darkness, but in Light.  This transforms us and the result is "fruit of the light" - "all goodness and righteousness and truth".   He desires for us to be "holy and blameless".

When light comes into a place it exposes what the darkness had kept hidden.  This is what pleases God - that we, the light, expose the hidden things in darkness - those things that are shameful and deceptive, those things that bring God's wrath instead of His favor. Those things in our own lives and those things in the world.

We must " be careful how ( we) walk", Paul tells us.
We need to be wise.  
We need to make the most of our time.  
We must understand what the will of God is.  
We must be filled with His Spirit - continually.  
We must not allow ourselves to be under the control of any other thing or person.  
We must be overflowing with the Word of truth - in "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord." 
We must be filled with thanksgiving "for all things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father"
And we must be "subject to one another in the fear of Christ".   We can help each other to grow into mature christians, by being accountable to one another.  This is a gift that God has given to us, not a yoke He has put upon us.  Husbands help their wives, wives help their husbands, parents help their children....

Father,  thank You for the great salvation we have in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Thank You for the Helper, Your Spirit, who has been given to us and who fills us with strength according to Your power that we might walk in a worthy manner, in ways that please You.  Let Your Light shine into each of our hearts, revealing those things hidden by darkness, so that we might confess and repent and be forgiven.  Purify us and refine us by Your Grace.  Sanctify us through and through as only You can.  For You are faithful and You alone will bring it to pass.  Praise Your Holy Name. Amen.

Ephesians 4  Paul pleads with his readers, including us, to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called."   Our walk - our lifestyle, deportment, or occupation - as we journey throughout our lives- needs to be worthy of our calling.  God has called us by name - invited us - to follow Jesus, to be "imitators of God, as beloved children".   Everything we do, think, speak, and desire should be based on His will, on what is good, acceptable and perfect in His sight..

Paul tells us that this worthy walk begins with "humility and gentleness" ( v2).  A person who is walking in this manner will show patience and forbearance, in love.  We will be "diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."  
We will live like one body.
We will walk in one Spirit.
We will have one hope.
We will serve one Lord.
We will hold one faith.
We will worship One God, our Father, who is "over all and through all and in all." 

 Now, we are not able to do this on our own. God has brought us together and given us the equipment needed to help one another in our journey.
First of all, each of us has been given "grace... according to the measure of Christ's gift". 
He has given "apostles... prophets... evangelists.. pastors, and teachers".
The purpose of these gifted servants of God is to equip all of us for the "work of service" To prepare each of us to be occupied with ministering and serving.   In this way we build up the "body of Christ" - the church.

The ultimate result is that " we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ."  To be fully grown, working properly, complete in Him.

When we are living this way we will no longer be "tossed here and there by waves, carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by the craftiness of deceitful scheming"  We are reminded that Satan is the father of lies and those who are liars are his children.  If we are walking in and "speaking the truth in love".. we are growing up like Christ,  and Satan can no longer persuade us with his lies.

Verses 17-19 give a clear picture of life on the wrong path - how the "Gentiles" or unbelievers walk:
Depraved thinking
"darkened" understanding
"excluded from the life of God"( alienated from God)
Ignorant ( no knowing or understanding truth)
Hard hearted ( stupidity or callousness)
Given to sensuality( filthiness and licentiousness)
Practicing "every kind of impurity with greediness".
Sounds familiar doesn't it? This is clearly seen in our world today...

But, this is not how we are to walk.  We have come to know Christ, we have learned what He said, we have been taught Truth. We can make the choice - to lay aside the old self with all its corruption and put on the "new self" which is in His likeness.  We start by being "renewed in the spirit of your mind".  We have been made new, created to be like Him , in "righteousness, and holiness, of the truth". 
Evidence of this transformation will look like Jesus:
We will not lie, but speak the truth.
We will not allow anger to result in sin.. but we will deal with it righteously,
We will not "give the devil an opportunity" - SO IMPORTANT!
We will not steal, but we will work hard and help those in need.
We will control our tongues.. speaking what is helpful and encouraging, not unwholesome.
We will not grieve the Holy Spirit.  We will not make Him sorrowful.
We will put away bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander and malice.
We will instead act in kindness, be tenderhearted, forgiving.. walking in love.

I went to a seminar this weekend on spiritual warfare.. as I think about this passage I am reminded of something the speaker pointed out -  God is light and we must stay within the circle of His Light - His Truth.  The moment we move outside of His Light, we open a door for Satan to attack.  As long as we stay in the Light, we are safe.  To give in to any of the temptations that lead us down the unworthy path.. Satan will have his hooks into us.  To stay on the right path, to walk the "worthy" walk, we must stay in the Light. We must stay in God's Presence, through the Word of His Truth and through the power of His Spirit.

Father, have Your way in me today.  Fill me with Your Spirit and strengthen me with Your power to live  a worthy walk with You today. Amen.

Ephesians 3 Verses 1-13 "For this reason..." Paul begins,  Because both Jews and Gentiles have been united together in one building, one holy temple that is the "dwelling of God in the Spirit" -  Paul was made a steward of the grace of God for the Gentiles.  What had once been a mystery, a secret, hidden plan, was revealed now.  " ... to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel."

Paul's ministry was a "gift of God's grace".  Grace that was the "working of His power."
Grace  "to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ."
Grace to "bring to light what".. was "hidden in God who created all things"
This was God's plan, according to His "manifold wisdom" and His "eternal purposes".

God's great wisdom and grace had planned and purposed since before the creation to bring all things together in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Verses 14-21 Paul prays, beginning with the same three words, "For this reason".  Because of  God's great plan,  " I bow my knees before the Father,"...
We worship our God Who has righteously and lovingly granted salvation to all who believe in Jesus Christ the Lord.  No matter what family, or tribe, or nation,  all who call upon the Name of the Lord will be saved.
Paul prays for these believers and we can pray these same things for ourselves and for others, praying that:
"He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man."  Notice this is something God grants, that He has the resources to grant it, and that He Himself does it in the Person of the Holy Spirit, and that He does it inside of us. 

"So that"... We must have what we are asking for, we must have His Spirit giving us His power, to strenghten us inside..  in order that:
1.  " Christ may dwell in (our) hearts through faith;"   and that,
2.. We " being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,"  and
3. "That (we) may be filled up to all the fullness of God." 

One request with 3 amazing results! When we ask God to grant us this spiritual strength by His Spirit power - Christ abides in our inner self, through faith; we grow into and are built into Christ's love.. we can know the unknowable love of Jesus; and we are completely filled with all of God.

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond what we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory int the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."