Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)

The Bible is filled with instructions… but more importantly instructions for every level.

If you look at the passage as a whole, this isn’t a verse to place children under the burden of obedience, but rather a path to follow.

Fathers, Servants and Masters

Ephesians 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:

8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

If you are going to be a good parent, you will learn through examples as a child, to be a good parent. As you get older you will be under the authority of  master (employer) And hopefully you will use the knowledge of obedience to be a good servant.  A good master, if taking all that you learned so that you can be a good master. (employer or manager). All these you learn as a child.

As a child you will see examples of good and bad parents, servants and masters… these examples will help shape you as you grow and fulfil these roles.

The Motivation

A child, a Father, a Servant and a Master should execute the duties of their position, not to get a pat on the back, but rather because we are serving a higher authority.

Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

At times rebellion comes into play. It is important that in order for the chain of command and progression of learning to work we must PLACE ourselves under the authority placed above us. 

Hebrews 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

Example:

As a child, I was under very specific rules. I grew up in a military home, learning the military way. I learned about a work ethic, responsibility, testimony, dignity and honor. These guidelines helped me to become a better servant.

As a servant I was able to place into practice the things I learned as a child. To obey those masters placed above me and to exceed expectations. This work ethic allowed me to stand out from my peers and see promotions and opportunities that others didn’t receive, often because they weren’t raised the same way I was. By learning to be a good servant I was able to understand what it meant to be a better master.

As someone who has led those in the military as a NCO, as a manager, as a Pastor; as well as one who has also been an employer, I have sought to be a master worthy of someone to follow. I never wanted to be someone who was just the boss because he was bossy. Every instruction or direction was to prepare others to be a good master. These are things I learned from a child from an example set by my father… every direction was designed to train. This prepared me to be a father.

From a child I learned these things, I have seen examples of both a servant and master by watching my parents. My parents worked for others… So I got to see what it meant to be a good servant. My dad was also an NCO, a leader of men into battle… I was able to see what a good leader was to be as well.