Paul has an update on his personal life and he wants to share that with the church at Ephesus. He also wants the church at Ephesus to be encouraged. So he sends Tychicus. Throughout Paul’s letters, he sprinkles in the names of people on the B-list. People like Tychicus.

As he ends his description of the armor of God, Paul makes a significant shift here. We move from a defensive posture—gearing up to deflect attack—to an offensive one. Paul ends this chapter on armor with a charge to take up our weapons.

Right before verses 14-15 of Ephesians, Paul tells us why we need the full armor of God. It is not a battle of flesh and blood, but a battle of the spiritual authorities, powers, evils, and sin that inhabits our current reality of this world. So, we do not need metal shields and camouflage barriers, but we need the tools that are equipped to us by God through the filling of the Holy Spirit to defend and march against such realities

This season has been a challenge, but as we read this passage of Scripture we catch a glimpse of what has gone before and what is coming next. It has prepared us for this moment, this day, and this time.

Let's be honest. How strong do we really feel during this season? These times are real and the emotions that come with stewarding the realities that we are experiencing can be heavy. We can find ourselves going down emotional pathways that are difficult to get off.

The difficulty of this passage is obvious enough. We modern Americans do not believe that there should be slavery at all. It may be the most affrontingly evil institution we can imagine. Our history with slavery is long and dark. That, indeed, is an understandable sentiment. But for those of us who believe that we can still find something in even difficult passages like this, what might be hiding here?

This passage communicates the Apostle Paul’s understanding of the Roman culture and the value that God places on how we navigate life. Our approach to life is important. By approach, we are referencing our view of daily tasks, duties, and current circumstances and the how and why behind what we actually do.

We can provoke our children through unrealistic standards or discouragement, over-indulging, ridiculing, neglect, or comparison. Maybe the proper tension is actually achieved over a lifetime. Some days you’re going to lose it, and some days you’re going to nail it. So, the golden mean is not achieved in perfection. It’s achieved in intentional consistency.

We have the opportunity to encourage children that obedience to parents should be a delight, even if one that comes with great difficulty. Why? Because this command leads them to be like their Lord and to display His Sonship to their own family.

Marriage is not just a good idea, marriage is a God idea. It’s not just a social construct or a legal contract. Marriage is a sacred covenant.