Fear To Serve Others
Ephesians 5:21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.
Story: How we relate to others depends on how we relate to Jesus. Which is why when people remove God from their lives, they struggle more with loving, healthy relationships. Or put more positively, my best relationships are with fellow believers. The will of the Lord (v. 17) includes a humility towards each other that is founded upon Christ. Because we fear and worship Jesus, we are willing to serve others; or in the words of Philippians 2:3, to consider others as more important than ourselves. This humility of mind is foundational to a Christ-honoring marriage, as Paul goes on to discuss in v. 23-33, a Christ-honoring family (6:1-4), and Christ-honoring work (6:5-9). All of how we relate to each other starts from our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.
My Prayer Response: Father, You deliberately make it all about Jesus. Even with my family – in the privacy of my house – it has to be all about Jesus, and not about me. Forgive me of my oft-repeated selfishness. Let me put on a fear of Christ and a humility towards others. May our family and church family relationships reveal the importance of Jesus Christ!
May you humble yourselves to others because of the fear of Jesus Christ!