Monday, October 7th: Jeremiah 8:8-9:26, Colossians 3:1-17, Psalm 78:32-55, Proverbs 24:27 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Jeremiah 8:8-9:26, Colossians 3:1-17, Psalm 78:32-55, Proverbs 24:27

Colossians 3 is a very practical chapter.

It tells us what not to do with words such as....
sexual immorality
impurity
lust
evil desires
greedy
idolator
anger
rage
malicious behaviour
slander
dirty language
lying

It also tells us what to do with words such as...
setting your sights on heaven
think about the things of heaven
tenderhearted
merciful
kindness
humility
gentleness
patience
make allowances for each other's faults
forgive
love
perfect harmony
peace
thankful
teach
counsel
wisdom
sing

That's a lot to pack into one chapter!


Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:  Jeremiah 10:1-11:23, Colossians 3:18-4:18, Psalm 78:56-72, Proverbs 24:28-29

Friday, October 4th: Jeremiah 2:31-4:18, Colossians 1:1-17, Psalm 76:1-12, Proverbs 24:21-22 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is  Jeremiah 2:31-4:18, Colossians 1:1-17, Psalm 76:1-12, Proverbs 24:21-22

Jeremiah 4:1 “O Israel,” says the Lord,
    “if you wanted to return to me, you could.
You could throw away your detestable idols
    and stray away no more.

The way of repentance and restoration is always open.  If we want to repent, we can, He is waiting with open arms.  But do we want to?  Are we willing to give up our sin? Are we willing to give up Lordship of our lives to Him?  Are we willing to trust Him with everything?


~~~~~~~~

Colossians 1:16b-17 Everything was created through him and for him.
¹⁷ He existed before anything else,
    and he holds all creation together.

I love this portion of Colossians.  Everything was created through him and for him.  He is glorified in His creation, and He takes pleasure in it.  And the amazing thing is - we are a part of that!

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Jeremiah 4:19-6:15, Colossians 1:18-2:7, Psalm 77:1-20, Proverbs 24:23-25

Friday, March 9th: Deuteronomy 19-21; Colossians 4 ~ Emma

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Deuteronomy 19-21; Colossians 4

“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” - ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4:2‬

Prayer needs to be more than just the routine prayer we pray at the end of the day. We need to constantly be talking with the Lord, thanking Him for all He has done, and talking with Him about what’s going on in our lives. Even if He already knows everything about us, He still wants us to talk with Him and tell Him about us ourselves. 

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Deuteronomy 22-24; Luke 1:1-38

Wednesday, March 7th: Deuteronomy 13-15, Colossians 2 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Deuteronomy 13-15, Colossians 2

6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
Our journey of faith doesn't end with the moment of our salvation.  Indeed, it's only the beginning!

We must continue to follow Him.

We need to purposefully develop roots that grow down into Him - only possible through reading, studying, meditating on, and memorizing His Word, and through prayer.

We need to build our lives on Him.  We are not our own foundation - He is our foundation.  Like the man who built his house on the sand, if we do not build our spiritual lives on the Rock, we will be knocked down by the storms of life.

When we do those things, THEN our faith will grow strong, THEN we will be able to discern truth, THEN we will overflow with thankfulness.  Those things don't come automatically, but only with effort!

We must continue to follow Him.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Deuteronomy 16-18, Colossians 3

Tuesday, March 6th: Deuteronomy 10-12, Colossians 1 ~ Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Deuteronomy 10-12, Colossians 1

Colossians 1:10-
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord & may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God

Am I living a life worthy of the Lord?  Do I please him in every way?

Do I acknowledge whom I say I follow?  If I take time to really consider that I'm a child of the King, the God of this universe, the Creator of all things & that He loves me, how can I not humbly fall before him & do everything I can to live a life worthy of him. How can I not be ashamed of all my shortcomings & give everything I have to better myself.

Lord, I want to please you in every way.  Open my eyes to the things in my life that need to change & do a mighty work in me. Shape each part of me into something that is worthy of you. 'Take my life & let it be consecrated, Lord to Thee.'


Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:  Deuteronomy 13-15, Colossians 2

Thursday, October 12th: Isaiah 39-40; Colossians 4 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Isaiah 39-40; Colossians 4

Isaiah 40:12-14
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand?
Who has gathered the dust of the earth in a measure
or weighed the mountains on a balance
and the hills on the scales?
13 Who has directed[f] the Spirit of the Lord,
or who gave him counsel?
14 Who did he consult?
Who gave him understanding
and taught him the paths of justice?
Who taught him knowledge
and showed him the way of understanding?

This section reminded me of the passage in Job where God speaks to Job, reminding him of exactly who God is.  Who are we, that this awesome God is mindful of us?  Truly His love is amazing.

Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving.

This is something that I need to work on!  Praying more, and making sure my mind doesn't wander while doing so, and being purposeful about thankfulness.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Isaiah 41-42; 1 Thessalonians 1

Wednesday, October 11th: Isaiah 37 - 38, Colossians 3 ~ Nathan

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Isaiah 37-38; Colossians 3

Isaiah 38: 7-8
7 “ ‘This is the Lord ’s sign to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: [8] I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.' ” So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down.

I've read this story before and am blown away by this miracle every time! A sure sign to those then, and us now, that God is supreme and all powerful.


Colossians 3: 1-2
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [2] Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

A good reminder where our focus needs to be, "on things above". A good reminder for us today.


Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Isaiah 39-40; Colossians 4

Tuesday, October 10: Isaiah 34-46; Colossians 2 ~ Jody

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is:Isaiah 34-36; Colossians 2

"So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude."  Colossians 2: 6-7

I found this verse so encouraging! It encompasses all we need to do as believers to stay in Christ. He is our truth and our roots! And one of the best ways to do this to to live a life of gratitude. And not just some gratitude - but "overflowing"! What would my prayer time - and life in general - look like if I practiced overflowing gratitude to God?

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Isaiah 37-38; Colossians 3

Monday, October 9th: Isaiah 32-33; Colossians 1 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Isaiah 32-33; Colossians 1

It thought it fitting that on today, Thanksgiving Monday (in Canada), one of the headings in our Colossians passage was literally titled Thanksgiving!


Thanksgiving
Colossians 1:3-5 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints because of the hope reserved for you in heaven.
Are people thankful to God because they have heard about my faith in Christ Jesus?
Are people thankful to God because they have heard of the love I have for all the saints because of the hope we have?

Do I live in such a way that it is clear by both word and deed, that I put my hope and faith in Jesus? Do I speak about my faith?  And do I live it out?  Both of those components are vital.

Without love, without living out what I say I believe, my faith looks futile and I look like a hypocrite.

Without giving a reason for my faith and the reason why I live the way I do, the gospel message is lost completely and I'm just another kind person.

Speak the gospel, and live the gospel.  It's not an either or option.  It's both!

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:  Isaiah 34-36; Colossians 2

Saturday, December 3rd: Philemon 1, Colossians 1-4 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Philemon 1, Colossians 1-4

I feel like we're flying through some of these NT passages and that there are so many verses that jumped out at me or made me want to dig a little deeper.

The one that hit me the most today was Colossians 4:5-6
Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

"make the most of every opportunity"

This phrase in particular jumped out at me.  So often, we pray for God to give us opportunities to use us to spread the gospel to those around us.  But I think the reality is that He's giving us plenty of opportunities - we're just not making the most of them!

Do we really want those opportunities?  Because I think they're around us every day, we just don't really want to notice.

Maybe we're afraid to speak up.
Maybe we think we don't have enough Bible knowledge to be able to answer questions they might ask if we steer the conversation in a spiritual direction.
Maybe we don't want to be labelled a "Jesus freak".
Maybe we're too busy and don't have time.
Maybe we just don't feel like it.

Quite frankly, maybe we're making excuses instead of making the most of the opportunities God's putting right in front of us.

I think I need to change my prayer to.....
Lord, thank you for the opportunities you give me every day to bring glory to Your name and to share the Good News with those around me.  Give me the eyes to see those opportunities, Your heart for the lost around me, the courage and willingness to take the time to make the most of those opportunities, and the determination to live my life so that my walk matches my talk, relying on Your power to do so.  Amen.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Ephesians 1-3

Friday, November 6th: Zephaniah 1-3, Colossians 4 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Zephaniah 1-3; Colossians 4

Zephaniah was written in an attempt to shake the people of Judah out of their complacency and return to God. It was written during the reign of King Josiah and may have been the motivating factor in the reforms implemented by the King.   It is a message of both judgment and hope.

Some thoughts from my Life Application Bible....
God does not take sin lightly, and it will be punished. But be encouraged by teh words of hope - our God reigns, and he will rescue his own. Decide to be part of that faithful remnant of souls who humbly worship and obey the living Lord....

Zephaniah warned the people of Judah that if they refused to repent, the entire nation, including the beloved city of Jerusalem, would be lost. The people knew that God would eventually bless them, but Zephaniah made it clear that there would be judgment first, then blessing. This judgment would not be merely punishment for sin, but it would also be a means of purifying the people. Though we live in a fallen world surrounded by evil, we can hope in the perfect Kingdom of God to come, and we can allow any punishment that touches us now to purify us from sin.

3:17 stood out to me....
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
The thought of God, the One who is mighty to save, singing over us and rejoicing over us is amazing. We sing praises to Him all the time, and rightly so.  But there will also be a day where He will sing over us with rejoicing.

Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
An excellent reminder to guard our tongue, and to be careful what we say, and how we say it.




Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Ezra 1-2; 2 Timothy 1

Thursday, November 5th: Habakkuk 1-3, Colossians 3 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Habakkuk 1-3; Colossians 3

Habakkuk 3:17-18
17 Though the fig tree should not blossom,
    nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
    and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
    and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

This is our hope.  Not that we will never struggle.  Not that life will be perfect.  Not that we will be always be wealthy.  Not that we will never get sick.  God has not promised us any of that.  But He has promised us His presence in affliction during this temporary life, and He has promised us joy unending and perfection forever in eternity with Him, the magnificence of which will far outweigh our earthly trouble and pain.

Colossians 3:7-8a
In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away
This completely ties in to what our Pastor has been preaching about in church recently.  Before God saved us and sanctified us, we lived as slaves to sin.  But after our salvation we have become slaves to righteousness through the power of the Holy Spirit. However, that doesn't mean that we can just sit back and do nothing and expect to be transformed.  God has given us His Word and expects us to obey.  Yes, we are to rely on His strength not our own, but we still need to be obedient.  We must actively pursue holiness.  If we do nothing intentionally, our default is to drift away from God.  We cannot become lax in our sanctification!



Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Zephaniah 1-3; Colossians 4

Wednesday, November 4th: Nahum 1-3, Colossians 2 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Nahum 1-3; Colossians 2

Somehow I got the passages a little mixed up this week.  I've edited the other days and added this one - so it should all be good now. Whoops!


In Nahum we see God pronouncing judgment on Assyria and comforting Judah with this promise.  My Life Application Bible says this....
Judah was comforted to know that God was still in control. Nineveh is an example to all rulers and nations of the world today. God is sovereign over even those who are seemingly invincible. WE can be confident that God's power and justice will one day conquer all evil.

What a great truth, particularly in the light of recent elections in Canada and upcoming for us provincially, and upcoming in the States.   God is sovereign. Period.

This passage also reminds me that the day of judgment will be a horrible time for unbelievers, but a gloriously joyful time for followers of Christ.

As our NT passage says, Jesus nailed our debt to the cross and triumphed over sin and death, so we can have that joyful day, that certain hope still to come.


 Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Habakkuk 1-3; Colossians 3

Tuesday, November 3rd: 2 Samuel 23-24, Colossians 1 ~ Nathan

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is 2 Samuel 23-24; Colossians 1

In our reading from 2 Samuel we start off with a reminder of who King David is,

Verse 1: ".... the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, the hero of Israel’s songs"

He was anointed by God,  can you have a higher position?  This beats anything that we see today on TV or online, where positions of power in politics or well known celebrities seem to be looked up to. But these positions today fall far short of being anointed by God like David was.

And yet, we see a few examples of how King David humbled himself and put others before him.

In 23:17 we see how some of David's men risked their lives to bring him water out on the battlefield when David mentions how thirsty he was. David says:

"“Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it...."

Later on because of David's sin,  a pestilence came upon Isreal that killed 70,000 men,  and David felt he should be punished and not anyone else,

24:17 "When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, “I have sinned; I, the shepherd, have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family"

And lastly,  when David wishes to set up an altar to God,  a man named Arauna offers to give him everything for free to set up the altar,

24:24"But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing .”

King David could have thought only about himself many times,  and the people around him wouldn't have thought anything of it because he was the king, but King David was a man of God and lived out his life that way. He wasn't perfect and sinned like any of us,  but his true character came out as well in his unselfish behaviour. This truly showed where his heart was at.

In our reading from Colossians I am again struck by how invested Paul is in his ministry. He puts everything into it and cares deeply how the church is doing. My prayer would be that I would be more like Paul and care more about how others are doing around me. 

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage:  Nahum 1-3; Colossians 2

Tuesday, October 25th

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Jeremiah 20, Jeremiah 35-36, Colossians 4

More thoughts on prayer today!

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should....Epaphras is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. Colossians 4:2-4, 12

From my Life Application Bible...

Have you ever grown tired of praying for something or someone? Paul says we should "devote" ourselves to prayer and be "watchful" in prayer. Our persistence is an expression of our faith that God answers our prayers. Faith shouldn't die if the answers come slowly, for the delay may be God's way of working his will in our lives. When you feel tired of praying, know that God is present, always listening, always answering - maybe not in ways you had hoped, but in ways that he knows are best....

Paul asked for prayer that he could proclaim the Good News about Christ clearly, and we can request prayer to do the same. No matter what approach to evangelism we use, whether emphasizing lifestyle and example or whether building relationships, we should never obscure the message of the gospel.

More things to add to our list of how to pray for people!

Pray for...

a watchful spirit.

a thankful heart.

God to bring people across their paths with souls receptive to the Good News

the ability to proclaim the Truth clearly

wisdom in relationships

graciousness

knowledge and insight to help us share the gospel accurately

Combined with the points from the other day, this is getting to be quite the list!

Tomorrow's passage: Jeremiah 25, 45-46, Hebrews 1

Monday, October 24 - Jody

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is: Jeremiah 18-19, Colossians 3
Happy Monday Everyone!!

I must confess along the same lines as Tammy regarding my reading and following on the blog. I have been taking a course at church over the last month that has daily homework and I end up spending almost 1 hour a day working through the homework (which is listening prayer and "Hearing God"). It's been super interesting and very exciting, but I just have not been able to keep up with the commitment of this blog. I am so sorry to all of you who read and post everyday that I have not been on top of commenting and appreciating the wisdom you have been sharing.

On that note, please also forgive this late post!!

Colossians 3 is so awesome. Seriously - our life as Christians are just neatly tied up in this chapter. Specifically 3:1-17:

1. Look to God first and always
2. By doing that you will not give life and worth to the useless things of this world
3. Because we are loved and made holy through this love from God, we will walk out this love to those around us through every action we take
4. And all of this - every piece of it must be done in the name of Jesus Christ.

I love how the instructions for Holy Living are sandwiched between the 2 most important commands:

3:1"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God."
3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him"

If we set our hearts on God and filter every action, word or deed through the name of Jesus with a thankful heart - we will achieve the closest thing to holy living that we can on this earth. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with my inadequacies and shortcomings as a child of God. So frustrated that I constantly fail. Then, I read a chapter like this and I realize - all that is required is setting my heart on HIM and HE will do the work in me.

Praying a great week for all of you!
J

Tomorrow's passage: Jeremiah 20, Jeremiah 35-36, Colossians 4

Saturday, October 22nd

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Jeremiah 9-10,14; Colossians 1

So sorry for the super late posting today (and it's actually technically tomorrow already, but I'm posting as though it's today!).

Actually, while I'm in confession mode, I may as well keep at it. It's time to bare my soul a little.

I feel like I'm in a spiritual rut right now. I'd say this is likely the first major one I've been in since starting this Bible blog almost two years ago now. I've stopped using my prayer journal. I've stopped doing the extra Bible reading I was doing (a revamped version of Prof Horner's plan). And honestly, the only Bible reading I did this week was for my Tuesday post, which means I have some serious catching up to do.

And the part that seems to make the least sense is that it seems to have started right after my nephew Baret's miraculous healing. What kind of sense does that make? None! After witnessing the amazing power of God firsthand, my spiritual life should be on fire! And it isn't.

Now that I'm acknowledging this, confronting this and confessing this, I'm realizing that this is probably the valley that usually follows a mountaintop experience. We had our mountaintop experience in Baret's miracle, and this is the valley. I'd humbly request your prayers as I slug my way out of this valley - because I know it's a choice, and apparently I've been choosing badly.

Believe it or not, this does tie in with our Colossians passage today. My prayer life has not been what it should be and this passage gives a little help in that area for me.

I don't know about you, but I am sometimes at a complete loss of exactly how to pray for people. There are many people in my life I want to pray for - friends, family, neighbours - but how exactly do I do that, if I don't know of a specific situation they need prayer for? Just repeating "Please be with so-and-so and please be with so-and-so" ad nauseum isn't what I envision a good prayer life to look like. Guess what? There's an app scripture for that.

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:9-14

My Life Application gives this excellent commentary/summary....

Sometimes we wonder how to pray for missionaries and other leaders we have never met. Paul had never met the Colossians, but he faithfully prayed for them. His prayers teach us how to pray for others, whether we know them or not. We can request that they

1) understand God's will

2) gain spiritual wisdom

3) please and honour God

4) bear good fruit

5) grow in the knowledge of God

7) have great endurance and patience

8) stay full of Christ's joy and

9) give thanks always.

All believers have these same basic needs. When you don't know how to pray for someone, use Paul's prayer pattern for the Colossians.

So, the Bible has the answer to my prayer dilemma. Imagine that. When you don't know what to pray, pray scripture. You can't go wrong.

Now I need to start taking my own advice.

Tomorrow's passage: Jeremiah 15-17, Colossians 2

December 9th

Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Colossians 1:24-4:18

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

Whatever you do.

Whether you're a high powered executive or a stay at home mom.

Whether you close large deals that affect millions, or you disciple and train up one child that could impact millions.

Whatever we do we need to do it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to do it for Him. And we need to do it the way He would do it.

And we need to do it thankfully.

It includes the worst parts of our jobs. It includes scrubbing toilets, cleaning up puke, doing endless loads of laundry and thinking up yet another meal to cook.

It includes the best parts of our jobs. It includes snuggling with your daughter while reading a book, hearing your children call you "the best mom ever", playing together, laughing together, having fun together.

And it includes everything in between.

The mundane and the exciting.

Everything.

And it isn't just what we do. It's also what we say.

Ouch.

It's our attitudes. It's our motives. It's our speech. It's our actions. It's our everything.

We can't do it on our own, we need Him and His strength. We need to be in constant connection with our power source or we will be ineffective in our job, whatever it may be.

We need to bring honour and glory to Christ in every aspect and activity of our daily lives. We represent Christ to a watching world wherever we go and whatever we say. At the grocery store, at the playground, or on vacation.

Whether we like it or not, once we have claimed the title of Christian, we are Christ's ambassadors.

We reflect Him.

What kind of picture of Christ are they seeing in us?

Tomorrow's passage: Philemon, Philippians 1-2:11

December 8th

Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Ephesians 5:15-6:24; Colossians 1:1-23

In the Colossians passage I was again struck by the prayer example of Paul. We can definitely learn about what and how to pray for believers - whether they are our friends or complete strangers!

In Colossians 1:9-14 Paul demonstrates that we can pray for believers to understand God's will, gain spiritual wisdom, please and honour God with the way they live their lives, bear good fruit, grow in the knowledge of God, be strengthened by God, to have great endurance and patience, to be joyful and to be thankful. All believers have these same needs and this is an excellent prayer pattern to model our prayers after.

In the Ephesians passage the passage on the marriage relationship is what struck me. Here are some thoughts from my Life Application Bible about this passage...

In a marriage relationship, both husband and wife are called to submit. For the wife, this means willingly following her husband's leadership in Christ. For the husband, it means putting aside his own interests in order to care for his wife....

Although some people have distorted Paul's teaching on submission by giving unlimited authority to husbands, we cannot get around it - Paul told wives to submit to their husbands. The fact that a teaching is not popular is no reason to discard it. One way to disarm the antagonism that the external culture may inject into the marriage relationship is to remember that the wife gets to submit and the husband gets to die. According to the Bible, the man is the spiritual head of the family, and his wife should acknowledge his leadership. But real spiritual leadership involves loving service (a form of dying)...A wise and Christ-honouring husband will not take advantage of his leadership role, and a wise and Christ-honouring wife will not try to undermine her husband's leadership....

Paul devotes twice as many words to telling husbands to love their wives as to telling wives to submit to their husbands. How should a man love his wife? (1) He should be willing to sacrifice everything for her. (2) He should make her well0being of primary importance. (3) He should care for her as he cares for his own body. No wife needs to fear submitting to a man who treats her in this way. (emphasis mine)

Tomorrow's passage: Colossians 1:24-4:18