NorMel House Devotions

Read Ephesians 6: 5-9 Today's text is a difficult subject. Slavery was not part of God's intended design, so why do we see it in the Bible? Paul does not condone slavery; however, because of the socioeconomic situation of the Roman occupation, it was an embedded institution. The Christians Paul wrote to were subject to Roman laws, and therefore, many Jews were either slaves or masters.  Paul wrote a lot about our attitudes and how we should live our lives in the various roles we are placed in. This is why he wrote to slaves and masters. As with so many of his instructions, Paul addresses both perspectives and points them to God. No matter your station or status in this life, we are equal, in Christ, before God. Although we do not have slavery in our society here now, we can compare this relationship to that of an employer and employee. We can look at what Paul instructs and use it in whatever our job is here and now. What, then, should we ascertain from today's passage? Thr

  Read Ephesians 6:1-4 In our passage today, Paul continues to describe how we ought to live in regard to our relationships. Last time, we saw how the relationship of a husband and wife must mimic Christ's relationship with the church. Our passage moves on to the relationship between children and their parents. As sinful people, our inclination is to rebel against authority,  but Paul starts off reminding us that children ought not only to obey their parents but to honor them. This is so important it is one of the ten commandments. In Matthew 19:19, Jesus tells a rich man that you must "honor your father and mother." In Matthew 15:4, Jesus tells us, "Honor your father and your mother, and whoever reviles father or mother must surely die." Honoring our parents is so important that the punishment for disobedience was death! Its importance is also shown in the promise given for obedience. Verse 3 of our text says, "that it may go well with you and that you may

Read Ephesians 5:22-33 and 1 Corinthians 11:3 There's a very distinct hierarchy given in our passage today. Christ is the head of the church, and the church submits to Christ. This relationship is compared to the relationship between a man and his wife. Just as the church submits to Christ, so also, wives should submit to their husbands. Our society balks at this idea because they don't understand what it means. The relationship between a husband and wife is a beautiful thing. As a wife, it is easy for me to submit to my husband because I've been blessed with a loving and good man. This doesn't mean he's perfect; only Christ was perfect, and He loved us so much He was willing to suffer and die for us. He "gave Himself up for her (the church) to make her holy" (Verse 25).  The love of a husband should be Christ-like. In all he does, a husband should love his wife more than he loves himself. He should feed and care for her, "just as Christ does the chur

Read Ephesians 5:1-20 Our passage today continues with the theme of living as children of the light. Here, we are told to be imitators of Christ. This isn't a new concept; 1 John 2:6 says,  "Whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked." And again, in 1 Peter 2:21-22, "For to this you have been called,  because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth." So, to live as children of the light means we have to be imitators of God. Our passage goes on to tell us what that means. To imitate Christ means not only to do as He did but also to avoid the things He didn't do. Verse 3 tells us we are not to be sexually immoral, impure, or greedy because those things are improper for God's holy people. We are not to defile our bodies for those who do will not receive the inheritance. Christ is God and was perfect, and so, we