Christian Devotional – May 6, 2019

Submission. This has become one of the most misused and misunderstood words of the Bible. The concept of humbling yourself to the authority of another seems to go against every cultural teaching in the United States over the past 40 years, especially when talking about women. Read 1 Timothy 2:11-12.

A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.
1 TIMOTHY 2:11‭-‬12 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/1ti.2.11-12.NASB

These verses and the ones we will look at over the next few days are some of the most controversial you will read. I will promise you that I will not solve the debate over them in these short devotions as entire books have been written about them. What I will say is that these words are in the Bible for a reason and if we say we believe the Bible then that should be the entire Bible, not just the parts that are comfortable or easy to agree with.

For me, I see this as a call to ensure that I am submitting to the authority that God has placed in my life. I must submit first to God. I am to receive my instruction and direction from him, but also my encouragement and my self-worth from Him. Second, as a married woman, I am to submit to my husband and the authority that he has over my life. Because my husband is also a believer, I really have no issue following Him. If he were not a believer, then that would make things more challenging, but wouldn’t change my accountability to him.

Are we willing to submit ourselves to the authority in our life, whether God Himself or others? Will we seek to glorify God through our interactions with others?