Joy, Thanksgiving, and Submission!

Three powerful words can be used to express characteristics of the believer found in Ephesians 5:19-21.

“ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,  always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Ephesians 5:19-21.

In the Christian home one should find: joy, thanksgiving and submission.

Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit. It is not conditional to our circumstances around us but rather it determines how we react to them. The Christian can be joyful in the midst of trials and tribulations because our joy comes from the Lord and what He has done for us. A Christian that is controlled by the Spirit of God will experience deep joy and will not afraid to express the glory of God through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit. The Christian will “sing and make music from the heart to the Lord” (vs. 19).

A thankful heart promotes harmony on the home. Christians are instructed to “give thanks to God the Father for everything” (vs. 20). “A thankful heart is usually humble, a heart that gladly acknowledges God as the giver of “every good and perfect gift” Wiersbe, Be Rich! All Christians are grateful for some things but Paul instructs us to be thankful of all things, all the time. Since it is difficult to be thankful for our trials and tribulations it shows us another reason we must rely so heavily upon the Holy Spirit. With the Holy Spirit’s help we will find the strength we need to obey this commandment to be thankful in all things.

Because of our own sinful nature we want to promote ourselves and make ourselves important. However, Scripture says that we are to esteem others “more highly than ourselves” (Philippians 2:1-4, Romans 12:10). If Christian homes are to be seen as pictures of Christ’s relationship to His church, then each believer, as a member of Christ’s Body, must practice submission to each other: “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (vs. 21).

My prayer for my own home (and all Christian homes) is as others peer into our lives they will see a joyful heart, a thankful attitude and a submissive mindset. No, we won’t be perfect but I pray that they will see evidence of our love for Christ in the way our homes are ran and seek the same things for their own homes.

Dear Jesus, I pray that we seek each day finding ways to show love and thankfulness for one another. I pray that You put a new song in my heart each and every day. Lord, I humbly ask You to forgive me when I fall short of this awesome task and ask for the Holy Spirit’s strength and guidance each day to make joy, thankfulness and submission a part of our home each and every day.