God’s Recipe for a Happy Home
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God (Ephesians 5:21, KJV).
Scripture: Ephesians 5:21-33
Song: “Happy the Home When God Is There”
When legendary symphony conductor Leonard Bernstein was asked which instrument was hardest to play, his answer was surprising: “The second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play the second fiddle with enthusiasm—that’s a problem; and if we have no second fiddle, we have no harmony.”
Bernstein’s point is clear: every orchestra instrument, even those seeming to be less prominent, is important.
Paul pressed this same point to the Ephesian believers when he wrote about the family. God’s recipe for a happy family includes both husbands and wives fulfilling their roles: wives are to follow their husbands’ lead, and husbands are to lead with love. This divine arrangement gives harmony and order to the home. Paul added that marriage is really a reflection of Christ’s relationship with the church: the church should follow Christ’s lead as Christ leads His people in love.
Modern society is often critical of God’s plan for the family. However, the role of “second fiddle” is not intended to exalt one spouse and degrade the other but to give completeness to the home. When we follow God’s guidelines, we will find our family is in complete harmony.
Dear Lord, help us trust Your plan for all our family members. Guide us to serve You together. In Your name, amen.
October 22-28. David Madsen teaches English at a Christian college and enjoys serving in his local church with his wife and four daughters.