Daily Devotional
By Pastor Jerry Teboe
A Closer Walk with Christ in 2026
Requirements for a Happy Marriage – Part 1
Ephesians 5:22-24
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. Eph 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. Eph 5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
Today, we begin with the role of the wife in marriage (in the context of the filling of the Spirit that we looked at yesterday). Tomorrow, we will look at the role of the husband. Therefore, in today’s portion, Paul says, Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
He gives two reasons for this command: the Lordship of Christ (Eph_5:22) and the headship of the man in Christ (Eph_5:23). When the Christian wife submits herself to Christ and lets Him be the Lord of her life, she will have no difficulty submitting to her husband. This does not mean that she becomes a slave, for the husband is also to submit to Christ. And if both are living under the lordship of Christ, there can be only harmony. Headship is not dictatorship. “Each for the other, both for the Lord.” The Christian husband and wife should pray together and spend time in the Word, so that they might know God’s will for their individual lives and for their home. Most of the marital conflicts I have dealt with as a pastor have stemmed from failure of the husband and or the wife to submit to Christ, spend time in His Word, and seek to do His will each day.
This explains why a Christian should marry a Christian and not become “unequally yoked together” with an unbeliever (2 Cor_6:14-18). If the Christian is submitted to Christ, he will not try to establish a home that disobeys the Word of God. Such a home invites civil war from the beginning. But something else is important. The Christian couple must be careful to submit to Christ’s lordship even before they are married. Unless the couple prays together and sincerely seeks God’s will in His Word, their marriage begins on a weak foundation. (copied)
In order to have a happy marriage, the home should be centered on Christ, and there must be submission to the Lord! Submission is one of the evidences of being filled with the Spirit. If there is no submission to Christ, the home will probably fail. Therefore, we must live for Christ and submit to Him for love, which is a fruit of the Spirit, to flourish in the marriage.
Bible Reading for the Year
August 14th, Psalms 107-108; Romans 15:22-33
Prayer Needs
Please continue to pray for Shirley Deans. She is at home and getting stronger. She saw her cancer doctor last Friday, and the doctor was pleased because everything looked good. Her lungs sounded clear. She has another appointment this Friday, August 14th. Pray that her labs come back good so that she can have the chemo treatment.
Thank you for praying for Dr. Joe Jordan. He had to go back into the hospital. The doctors are doing tests to determine an issue with his kidneys. Please continue to pray for him.
Please continue to pray for Faye Smith, Jack Gargis’ sister. She has been transferred to a nursing home. She is doing some better, but still has a long way to go. The family appreciates your prayers.
Continue to pray for Jennifer Teboe Buchamer. Please keep praying for complete healing. She is still having side effects from the cancer. She had a Keytruda treatment on last Thursday. Pray for the treatment to be effective against the cancer. Her white blood cells are elevated. Pray for the infection to stay at bay.
Please continue to pray for Vickie Dalton. Pray for God’s healing. She was in the hospital to have a drainage tube put into her lung. She was able to go home but needs our prayers.
Linda Franks’ surgery has been rescheduled for August 31st.
Please continue to pray for Carolyn Tyson’s sister, Shirley Deal. She has been moved into the River Trace rehab center in Washington. She is showing some improvement.
Please continue to pray for Peggy Warren. She is facing some difficult challenges.
Please continue to pray for Robbie Harvey who has MAC lung disease. The doctor has prescribed a new medication, but he is not tolerating it well.
Please continue to pray for Marvin Silverthorne for his eyesight to improve.
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Pray for our Missionaries!
Sue Singleton and the mission in Cambodia
Dr. Joe Jordan and the CBM (Cross and Bible Ministries)
Travis and Caroline Fennessy – IBM missionaries to Southeast Asia