The Ability to Yield
By Meg Bucher
“And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Ephesians 5:21 NLT
In this part of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he is writing to them about living by the power of the Holy Spirit and how that affects their relationships. He said:
“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:15-20 NLT)
This is a laundry list full of things Paul wants the Ephesians to address. To follow Christ isn’t a burden, but these adjustments to our everyday lives can be hard to incorporate! The process of breaking bad habits doesn’t feel light, but the consequence of allowing them to continue in our lives is too heavy not to address them. One by one, Paul is guiding the Ephesians in the way to live a holy life. But there is one key component they, and we today, need in order to become more like Jesus each day. We need the Holy Spirit and His power in our lives.
Making good choices, unfortunately, doesn’t come naturally. It takes effort to steer our hearts toward what is good and right in the world. “Submit to one another,” Paul encouraged the Ephesians. But first, we must submit our lives to the One who created us. James wrote, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7 NLT) Submission means to yield control to a more powerful authority. The author of Hebrews wrote:
“Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.” - Hebrews 13:17 NLT
Submission removes us from the center of every situation. When we submit our lives to Christ, we give Him authority over us. Submission to the Holy Spirit means to pause and pray into the space He occupies in our hearts and allow Him to move and motivate us in the right direction. In our relationships, when we submit to each other, we are putting that person before ourselves. As a result, we grow closer to Christ and more like Him.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Parents, caregivers, and teachers recognize the struggle humans have for authority over their own lives on the daily. Little kids don’t understand why they can’t be in charge of themselves. It starts with yanking them from stepping into the street or touching the hot stove and matures into lessons on what happens when we speak without thinking or fail to do homework. The lessons in life are endless. Though we eventually grow and mature to a capacity that allows us to live independently in our society, we never outgrow the basic human need to seek the Lord’s guidance in our lives.
We were created to bring glory and honor to Him and Him alone. God created each of us with a specific purpose and plan to bring glory and honor to Him. His plan for us is a full life, and to reach it, we follow His will for us. To know which way to go requires daily submission to the Lord and to the wise people He has placed in our lives. We don’t do this with selfish motives but out of reverence for Christ. Micah 6:8 reads:
“No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (NLT)
In order to accomplish this way of life, the Lord did not leave us alone but gave us His Holy Spirit, who is always with us. The VOICE paraphrase says:
“No. He has told you, mortals, what is good in His sight. What else does the Eternal ask of you but to live justly and to love kindness and to walk with your True God in all humility?”
Further Reading:
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Elena Pueyo
Meg writes about everyday life within the love of Christ at megbucher.com. She is the author of “Friends with Everyone, Friendship within the Love of Christ,” “Surface, Unlocking the Gift of Sensitivity,” “Glory Up, The Everyday Pursuit of Praise,” “Home, Finding Our Identity in Christ,” and "Sent, Faith in Motion." Meg earned a Marketing/PR degree from Ashland University but stepped out of the business world to stay home and raise her two daughters …which led her to pursue her writing passion. A contributing writer for Salem Web Network since 2016, Meg is now thrilled to be a part of the editorial team at Salem Web Network. Meg loves being involved in her community and local church, leads Bible study, and serves as a youth leader for teen girls.
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