Page 155 - Ephesians

absolute responsibility for her well-being. Truly surrendered
intimacy is God’s perfect will. This will result in the unfolding of
her inner beauty and the fruitfulness of child bearing. Why is trust
so important? Because it is the practical, earthly, equivalent of
faith.

“Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Hebrews 11:6,
declares what is most important to the Lord, in His relationship
with us. He tells the husband to “Love his wife the way Christ
loved the church, giving Himself for her.” But what God is
referring to here is the question, “How does the weaker and more
vulnerable partner, risk surrender to the powerful and potentially
hurtful?” How can we trust an infinite God with unlimited power
and control?

Remember the key to understanding this whole illustration of
marriage. “But I’m speaking of Christ and the Church.” Our
problem as weak humans goes back to the Garden of Eden. How
can I trust an all-powerful Being? And by Satan’s suggestion,
they decide to take matters into their own hands. This original act
of fear and control, is the source of all habits and addictions.
Fear always leads to a need to control. How we choose to control
becomes our addiction. All addictions create the illusion of
control. That’s why reality is our best friend. The first step in AA
and life in Christ are the same. “My life is out of control, and I am
powerless to fix it.”

The Lord knows that He must do something to make Himself
approachable and trustworthy (worthy of faith). He made himself
weak, to remove our fear. Jesus hung naked, with arms and feet
nailed to a cross. Could He go any lower? God says, “This is
Who I Am”. He comes to us as a servant, lover and friend. We
are the wife. We can trust Him. We can lower our defenses and
crawl out of our shelters. This opens us to receive His Spirit and
Life. We surrender in love, to the One who first loved us.
Romans 7:4,
“Through the body of Christ (Mortal Jewish Flesh) we have
ended our relation to the law, so that you may be married to