Reading through 1 Timothy–Paul’s instructions to Timothy on how to organize a local church and what an ideal church might look like–I got stuck on the word submission.
That’s a tough word for most people–maybe especially for Americans. Our 19th century writers were all about the glorification of the individual and his freedoms.
I’ve jotted lots of thoughts as I think through this discipline. But I decided to consult Richard Foster, “Celebration of Discipline.”
He quotes Martin Luther, “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.”
Foster goes on to say, “Nothing can put people into bondage like religion, and nothing in religion has done more to manipulate and destroy people than a deficient teaching on submission.”
I think I’m going to spend some time on this thought, because it is a most important concept. Foster says that the purpose of practicing a Spiritual Discipline is for the greater good. And liberation is the end.
He says that the freedom that comes with submission is the freedom from the burden of needing to get our own way.
So, I think the first step in submission is to recognize that, one way or another, we’re going to follow some person or some emotion. It’s best that we choose. Further, it’s best that we choose God. We know that the only good life comes from living a life with God.
So, what’s holding us back?
Faith Venture 
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