Thoughts
on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength (Vol. 1) - #
289
Michael’s book is
available through:
ABIDING LIFE MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL
Littleton, Colorado
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Well, Mother’s Day is coming this Sunday. And, I would guess, not many will hear
anything like this from the pulpit of their church on that day.
I’m not sure, but many may want to put away your
Swiffer and get your fly-swatter out…you might want to use it.
DAY 365
Wives,
Submit
Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the
Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.
--Colossians 3:18, 19
Let us get started on
the right foot, for there is no need going for the cobweb when we can go for
the spider. Both the women
who cannot submit and the men who demand it are unbelieving control freaks.
Let me explain, because this is not a popular topic. I suppose that the only
other admonition that has been given such scrutiny and as many overhauls is
“Husbands, love your wives.” The goal of many for both verses seems to be to
add so many qualifiers that both commands lose their sting. Evangelicals are somewhat
comical in that they will fight to the death over someone’s wanting to change
the Bible, but they alter its intended meaning regularly with their
commentaries. But if we believe “let God be true and every man the
liar,” women are to submit to their husbands. The obvious question that will be
asked is, “Why?” Does the Bible teach equality? Yes, definitely, as when Paul
tells us there is neither male nor female. Why would God take a woman, who is
equal to a man, and tell her to submit? There are some obvious reasons, such as
that a house divided cannot stand, the man is the head of the woman, and the
family is not a democracy. However, for me this still misses the point. God’s
school of discipleship has some very elaborate and tailor-made courses to bring
about the great revelation that Christ is in us; seminaries have a laughable
curriculum when measured against His. He is discipling us, hands on, all of the
time. There are things
that can be learned in submission that cannot be learned in any other place.
There are lessons in submitting to a person perceived to be inferior that
cannot be learned any other way. There are secrets about Jesus learned only in
submission to an equal. There are aspects of a woman’s flesh life that can only
be revealed in submission, such as a faith that remains dormant in the un-submissive.
I noticed some time
ago that the ministry I am in has saved my life. I always was thinking it was
for others, but finally I saw that it was for me. My flesh is so strong that
were I not constantly in this course He has created for me, I would not have
moved forward in faith. I see Jesus in it all. My point is this: Who really believes that the God who
began a good work in us and intends to complete it would give us a command to
make us miserable? The way some try to work their way around the
submission passages reveals their flesh. “Am I to submit to an idiot?” Well,
why not? First, are they suggesting they are better than Jesus, who, knowing He
was God, washed others’ feet? Second, what faith does it take to submit to
someone who is better in everything? The lesson He is teaching in submission is an amazing one: that God is
above the husband and that a wife’s life does not rest in the hands of another.
To see past man to God will affect every area of a wife’s life. I no
longer see governments as being in charge of my destiny; I see God behind them.
There are several such
lessons in Scripture where God is teaching each of us, right in our
particular environment, that we can see Him. Slaves submit to masters, citizens
to governments, members to their leaders, one to another, and more, all to increase our faith by
seeing God behind them. Flesh is flesh, and no one is void of it. No
intellectually discerning person sees one man above another, and yet we are
all, in our various environments, to submit to someone. There is great peace when we see God and not the man.
A woman’s flesh needs this or He would not command it. There are no qualifiers.
In the same way, a man’s flesh needs to love when there is no reason to love;
he needs the breaking of the flesh life and pride that only loving a person who
has rejected him can bring. Every
bit of it is for our good. One who does not want to submit wants to
remain in unbelief, wants to continue to think man is in charge of his or her
life, and wants the last word! Well, amen! But there is a better Way. The glory of God is revealed in
choice. Each
individual has the final word in choice. In the end, the struggle with submission is a
struggle over the question of who is ultimately in control. Is it God or
someone else? Do we have to be in control, or can we see God behind the
person we will not follow? Just say, “Amen,” and get on in Him.
There is, in my opinion, the mistaken idea that the
leadership of a man is proven by those who follow. This appears to be a faulty
definition when applied to Jesus, for He was the greatest leader that ever
lived, and yet His followers nearly completely deserted Him at the end of His
life. Leadership
is showing the way, not forcing people into the way. Some carnal-minded
men force subjugation onto women. Those men wear the penalty of their motives,
for sin and punishment are one and the same. Men stand and fall in their “why,”
not their “what,” and the “why” of these men is wrong. So we disregard them.
However, there are women that will never be led because of their own control
issues, and many who covertly will never be led but will not come right out and
say it because they do see that as disobedience. Hence, they question
everything. Others simply are not, from pride, going to let a man tell them
anything. Finally, there are those whose husbands have proven over and over
again to be stupid.
So what are men to do?
Again, recognize that leadership is NOT determined by who follows. As a man and
leader he should let his opinion be known. To the best of his ability, by seeking God for the
direction in which he believes the couple or family should go, he must let his
assessment be known. At that point he is a leader! Who follows is a
matter of personal choice. If no one follows, the husband should not surrender
his peace to the situation; he should surrender to God and let the others “do
what is wise in their own eyes.” This may sound like passivity, but in reality,
what are his options? Stew in anger, or worse yet, force the mate to yield to
him? Flesh will beget
flesh. Everyone must stand on his own before his Maker. Just rest and
get on in Him. After all, if
a wife does not want to come under a husband’s leadership, let her take it up
with God. A husband has a big enough task of loving! Of course, there is
another option, to fall into the minutiae of life. “I wanted to turn right, and
my wife kept yelling, ‘Go left!’” Now there is a conversation that we
all want to be involved in. Then there are the follow-up statements of this
drivel: “Well, I was correct, was I not? We should have gone right!” Everyone
at the dinner table really enjoys these times of “fellowship.” Is it really
worth the hassle of triple answering and questioning over something that simply
does not matter? It is better to say, “Right looks good, I believe it is
correct (the issue of leadership is complete at this point); however, if you do
not want to go right, amen, we are turning left.” When there are no followers, then comes the issue of
taking up the cross and loving; this deeper work in a man may not yet be
complete. He can say it with a smile, for though he is not going to be followed,
his leadership is not on the line; that has been settled. So what? If he is
wrong, he saved some time listening; if he was right, he lost a little time and
he needs to move out of pride and get on with talking about Jesus, the bigger
thing we want to move on to.
Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point Green
– IT, Incredible Truth
Red – GP, Greatest Promises
Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches Pink
– PV, Priceless Victory
Don’t you just love how God speaks straight to the point. And it didn’t take Michael long to get to the
point either. Well, amen.
I think I will rest with Michael’s comments, and let each of us “soak”
on them a bit.
Happy Mother’s Day! I know God
gave me His perfect woman to be the mother of our two girls!
Lee McDowell Christian Ministries
(blog)
www.leemccmviews.blogspot.com
P.O. Box 633244 Nacogdoches,
TX 75963 936-559-5696
