Today Eph 6 Obedience in Christ

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.

Ephesians 6:1-24
Children and Parents
1Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. 2"Honor your father and mother." This is the first of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise. 3And this is the promise: If you honor your father and mother, "you will live a long life, full of blessing." F12
4And now a word to you fathers. Don't make your children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord.
Slaves and Masters
5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 6Work hard, but not just to please your masters when they are watching. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 8Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.
9And in the same way, you masters must treat your slaves right. Don't threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.
The Whole Armor of God
10A final word: Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. 11Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. 12For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.
13Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. 15For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. F13 16In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. F14 17Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.
19And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words as I boldly explain God's secret plan that the Good News is for the Gentiles, too. F15 20I am in chains now for preaching this message as God's ambassador. But pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.
Final Greetings
21Tychicus, a much loved brother and faithful helper in the Lord's work, will tell you all about how I am getting along. 22I am sending him to you for just this purpose. He will let you know how we are, and he will encourage you.
23May God give you peace, dear brothers and sisters, F16 and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24May God's grace be upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
FOOTNOTES:F12: Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16. F13: Or For shoes, put on the readiness to preach the Good News of peace with God. F14: Greek by the evil one. F15: Greek explain the mystery of the gospel. F16: Greek brothers.
Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living TranslationCopyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

~ Lena’s Journalin’
Eph 6 starts out speaking of a very controversial subject called obedience.
The first thing American’s seem to think about when it comes to this word is a threat to my freedoms. The next thoughts could be thoughts of history repeated, like Hitler’s domineering control, and a whole load of other unpleasant thoughts. As these thoughts appear a certain resistance arises against any control of my life except what I deem proper. I have now resisted obedience and this moved into an opposing force called rebellion.
Obedience and rebellion are warriors. Rebellion is actually obedience to evil, to self, to self exaltation. Ever think of that one? It is a tendency each of us have from the fall of man. In, Isaiah 14 is the root of all rebellion. I will ascend, I will be…I will, I will…. Obedience and rebellion are matters of the will.
There is one will, God’s will, and another will, the will of the enemy of God, that ascends above God Most High and says me, me, me. I’m right. I know best. I can protect myself better than God can. I know my destiny and I will fulfill it my way. God’s way is not the way to go, my way is the way to go.
Obedience to God and His word and will is engaging in combat against the original rebellion of the wills.
So Eph 6 says, children obey your parents in the Lord, it is what is the proper thing to do. He is speaking about warfare here, combating spiritual forces of darkness, by Divine will-full order.
Who are “children” exactly? Children are those who are ushered into the earth and also those ushered into the realm of the spirit, by being born again. They are disciples, ones who will be taught by “parents”. Parents are ushers, they open the way for persons to be born or born again in the earth.
To obey them is to show love and honor and respect to them, not so much personally, but positionally. The understanding is more about principle and demonstration inside of the rebellion, engaged in the warfare, then any other reason. Obey them in the Lord. It is the Lord we ultimately honor whenever we obey.
To obey is to love, for love is an action, not a feeling, a decision, not a happening.
To obey here is to lean the ear towards, listen to with intent to know what to do and to execute the action given. “Johnny, I need you to go to the store for me, honey.” Johnny says, “Ok mom, which store and what would you like me to get and how do I get there?” he listens to the description and goes to the store.
Obedience means to consider what is said. To get the understanding inside of what is said, to hearken, as in hearing a knock at a door and opening it.
So if rebellion is obedience to what is not of God and if the root of rebellion was manifested in the will of man against God, what is the only opposing response to reverse this curse between man and God? A heart and will of obedience. As one is changed from darkness to light and switches army allegiances, entering into warfare in the spirit realm, he on purpose places himself on alert against disobediences in his will. He is a watchman on the wall. Anything that resembles rebellion or obedience to evil, he kills off, in his own life. He is no longer a participator of the rebellion against God, the self exaltation, the warfare of the will rising against God. He no longer guards and protects self from the control of man, being led to think it is ungodly. He submits himself to the control of God’s spirit who is for him, not against him. He offers obedient acts to even mortal, unperfected men, as representatives of God Most High, for the sake of the warfare, so God will win His will back, freewill love, freewill obedience.
He loves not his own life, be it even unto death, especially the death of the self will.
Who do we do this “service” to? Man? Yes, sort of, before men, but completely unto God. He set it so, for principle sake.
It is spiritual warfare.
When we obey with a freewill, when we respond to love opposing darkness we are clothed with the armor of light, we are identified as His. He knows us. We look like Him. Obedience is offered as a fruit f love. Love obeys.
Jesus said , if you love Me, obey Me. He said obey parents. Do we love Him? Love is tested in the opportunities to obey. We cannot say we love and not obey. If/when we love, we obey. Obedience is the evidence of love.
Oh that’s stupid, controlling, I cannot believe that matters, no one is going to tell me what to do, ya know I can think just fine for myself, etc….
That it is stupid is a lie. It is stupid to allow rebellion to send a person to hell, when they could have easily obeyed. It is a decision. Light – darkness, heaven- hell, death – life, obedience- disobedience. All freewill choices we get to make everyday.
How can one wear armor as a soldier if he is not active in obedience to the will of the master? The armor of protection is worn by those who know Him. If we obey Him, we know Him in love, the armor of God fits us, was designed for us. Otherwise, we are not able to wear it, we are unprotected, uncovered.

Daily Repetitive Verses:

Isaiah 58:12 You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You'll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again. THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language