Children and Parents
1 Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord,[a] for this is the right thing to do. 2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: 3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”[b]4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
Slaves and Masters
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.9 Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.
The Whole Armor of God
10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we[c] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.[d] 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.[e] 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.[f]
19 And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.[g] 20 I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.
Final Greetings
21 To bring you up to date, Tychicus will give you a full report about what I am doing and how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper in the Lord’s work. 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose—to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you.23 Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters,[h] and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. 24 May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.
Footnotes:
- Ephesians 6:1 Or Children, obey your parents who belong to the Lord; some manuscripts read simply Children, obey your parents.
- Ephesians 6:3 Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16.
- Ephesians 6:12 Some manuscripts read you.
- Ephesians 6:15 Or For shoes, put on the readiness to preach the Good News of peace with God.
- Ephesians 6:16 Greek the evil one.
- Ephesians 6:18 Greek all of God’s holy people.
- Ephesians 6:19 Greek explain the mystery of the Good News; some manuscripts read simply explain the mystery.
- Ephesians 6:23 Greek brothers.
6 comments:
I almost think we should start Eph over and do it again. Hard to take all this in.
14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.
Amazing imagery!!! So much to comment on, so I will leave some for all.
Father, help me to stand my ground using all the tools You have available. Protect me and my brothers form all of satan's attempts to bring us down.
In Christ,
cas
4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
So tough for me to be consistent here.
Father, give us wisdom as fathers ourselves to guide our children as You would do so. Help us to have the patience and persistence to do so with love and grace, in the same way You guide us all. Amen.
tba
F6
I know I've mentioned this before, but my major struggle is quiet time with the Lord.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.[
This is my major goal/desire for the new year is more quiet time with God.
Father, help me to adjust my priorities to put you first, to keep my faith in You that all things will be accomplished as they need be. Help me not to get sidetracked, but instead keep my eye on the ball for You. In Jesus' name,
Amen
crb
i felt the verses on slavery were interesting...in some way, we can interpret this to say that whether you are in a position of power and influence, or whether you are struggling in this world to "be somebody" and to make it and thus are lower on the totem pole, we need to remember to love those above us and around us as that is what God would want and that in doing so, we are showing our love for God. Good lesson for me as i hope to continue to grow professionally.
I pray that each of you is growing in your walk and that your faith and commitment is growing.
Just the sheer volume of "all"s in the verses dealing with Spiritual armor is amazing to me. I don't know if they are in the NLT or not, but here is a verse I will be focusing on this day "In ALL circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish ALL the flaming darts of the evil one." (vs. 16).
Father, forgive my lack of faith in finances and communication with my family. Thank you for revealing the sinfulness of my surrender to anxiety and self-protection. May you be honored in all that is said, done, and thought.
In Christ's name,
er
Eph 6
4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
Lord - Help me to be firm but gentle. Instructive and not destructive. Lord let my actions show my children that I love them unconditionally. I miss them dearly this week, and want to be a tender warrior when I see them again. In christ, jmb
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