August 29 - Mutual Submission & Marriage - - Ephesians 5:21–33

 

💖 Loved to Love – Part 4

Theme: Mutual Submission & Marriage (Ephesians 5:21–33)

📖 “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” — Mark 12:31

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👋 Greetings

“Sisters, what a blessing it is to walk through Ephesians together with you — each day has been a step deeper into God’s love.” 

• On Day 1, we learned to walk in love.
  
• On Day 2, we were called to walk as children of light.
  
• On Day 3, we discovered how to walk in wisdom.

Now, in Part 4, Paul turns our attention to relationships — especially marriage. Whether single, formerly married, or married, the principle remains the same: love is humble, sacrificial, and patterned after Christ’s love for the Church.

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📖 Scripture Reading (NLT)

Ephesians 5:21–33
21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church.
24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.
25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her
26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.
27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.
28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.
29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.
30 And we are members of his body.
31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”
32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.
33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

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🌱 Loved to Love: Lessons for Singles

🔴 Choleric Single

1. Leadership in relationships means serving, not controlling (v.21).

2. Learn to honor others before seeking recognition (v.33).

3. Practice sacrificial love now — it prepares you for every season (v.25).

🟡 Sanguine Single

1. Submission means listening as much as speaking (v.21).

2. Respect deepens friendships and community ties (v.33).

3. Consistency in love matters more than bursts of charm (v.25).

🔵 Melancholic Single

1. Grace matters more than perfection in relationships (v.26).

2. Respect is an act of trust, not fear (v.21).

3. Love should purify your words and actions, not criticize (v.26–27).

🟢 Phlegmatic Single

1. Submission is active, not passive (v.21).

2. Love means stepping forward, not avoiding (v.25).

3. Respect shows up in faithful daily choices (v.33).

➡️ Question for Singles: Which one of these three lessons resonates with you most? Share your answer in the comments.

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🌱 Loved to Love: Lessons for Formerly Married

🔴 Choleric Formerly Married

1. Strength is shown in humility, not control (v.21).

2. Love restores when it sacrifices self (v.25).

3. Respect begins with how you treat others now, not the past (v.33).

🟡 Sanguine Formerly Married

1. Joy must be rooted in Christ’s sacrificial love (v.25).

2. Respect builds new beginnings (v.33).

3. Encouragement is a gift you still carry for others (v.29).

🔵 Melancholic Formerly Married

1. Grace covers your story — holiness flows from Christ (v.26–27).

2. Respect keeps your heart soft, not bitter (v.33).

3. Love heals when expressed with gentleness (v.29).

🟢 Phlegmatic Formerly Married

1. Submission means engaging, not withdrawing (v.21).

2. Love brings calm courage, not silence (v.25).

3. Respect keeps relationships steady even in new seasons (v.33).

➡️ Question for Formerly Married: Which one of these three lessons resonates with you most? Share your answer in the comments.

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🌱 Loved to Love: Lessons for Married

🔴 Choleric Married

1. Leadership is expressed through sacrifice (v.25).

2. Gentleness builds unity more than force (v.28–29).

3. Respect flows from humility, not intimidation (v.23).

🟡 Sanguine Married

1. Marriage is holy — not casual or lighthearted (v.31).

2. Love must remain steady, not just enthusiastic (v.25).

3. Encouragement sustains your spouse (v.29).

🔵 Melancholic Married

1. Holiness grows through love, not criticism (v.26–27).

2. Respect brings balance to high expectations (v.33).

3. Grace is essential in daily partnership (v.27).

🟢 Phlegmatic Married

1. Submission is active, not silence (v.21).

2. Love requires initiative, not avoidance (v.25).

3. Respect builds unity one steady choice at a time (v.33).

➡️ Question for Married: Which one of these three lessons resonates with you most? Share your answer in the comments.

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🔥 Encouragement for the Day

Marriage and relationships are a reflection of Christ and His Church. Whether you are single, formerly married, or married, the call is the same: to love humbly, to respect faithfully, and to live sacrificially. In doing so, we live out the mystery of the gospel — that we are deeply loved and called to love in return.

💖 Come back for Loved to Love – Part 5: Honor in Relationships (Ephesians 6:1–9).