Daily Devotional
By Pastor Jerry Teboe
A Closer Walk with Christ in 2026
Ephesians 6:1-3
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Eph 6:2 Honor thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) Eph 6:3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
We now come to the role of the children in the home. We see that in these verses Paul gave children four reasons why they should obey their parents.
- 1. They are Christians (“in the Lord,” Ephesians_6:1).
This argument is an application of the theme of the entire section, which is “submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God” (Ephesians _5:21). When a person becomes a Christian, he is not released from normal obligations of life. If anything, his faith in Christ ought to make him a better child in the home.
- 2. Obedience is right (Ephesians _6:1).
There is an order in nature, ordained of God, that argues for the rightness of an action. Since the parents brought the child into the world, and since they have more knowledge and wisdom than the child, it is right that the child obey his parents.
- 3. Obedience is commanded (Ephesians _6:2).
Here Paul cites the fifth commandment of the Ten Commandments. (Exodus_20:12; Deuteronomy_5:16) and applies it to the New Testament believer.
To “honor” our parents means much more than simply to obey them. It means to show them respect and love, to care for them as long as they need us, and to seek to bring honor to them by the way we live.
- 4. Obedience brings blessing (Ephesians _6:2-3).
The fifth commandment also has a promise attached to it: “That thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee” (Exo_20:12). Paul tells us that the Christian child who honors his parents can expect two blessings. It will be well with him, and he will live long on the earth. He was stating a principle: when children obey their parents in the Lord, they will escape a good deal of sin and danger and thus avoid the things that could threaten or shorten their lives. But life is not measured only by quantity of time. It is also measured by quality of experience. God enriches the life of the obedient child no matter how long he may live on the earth. Sin always robs us; obedience always enriches us. (copied)
Children have a very special role in the home. In one sense, all of us are children, and so we can understand how important obedience is to our heavenly Father. Many of us are also parents, and as such, we are to love and admonish our children and teach them the Scriptures.
We have to provide homes where our children feel “loved.” We also need to be the Christian parents that our children can honor and obey. We should seek the Lord daily to be the leaders in our homes so that our children can fulfill the role that God has for them too.
Bible Reading for the Year
August 17th, Psalms 112-115; 1 Corinthians 1
Prayer Needs
Please continue to pray for Faye Smith, Jack Gargis’ sister. She has been transferred to a nursing home. She is doing some better but still has a long way to go. The family appreciates your prayers.
Please continue to pray for Shirley Deans. She is at home and getting stronger. She was able to have the chemo treatment. Pray that all will go well after it. The doctor said that she needs to rest to build her body up.
Linda Franks’ surgery has been rescheduled for August 31st.
Continue to pray for Jennifer Teboe Buchamer. Please keep praying for complete healing. She is still having side effects from the cancer. She had a Keytruda treatment and is also taking an inhibiter pill. Pray there will not be any bad side effects from the pill and that the treatment will be effective against the cancer.
Thank you for praying for Dr. Joe Jordan. He was able to go home from the hospital. He is on new medication. Please continue to pray for him.
Please continue to pray for Vickie Dalton. Pray for God’s healing. She was in the hospital to have a drainage tube put into her lung. She was able to go home but needs our prayers.
Please continue to pray for Peggy Warren. She is facing some difficult challenges.
Please continue to pray for Robbie Harvey who has MAC lung disease. The doctor has prescribed a new medication, but he is not tolerating it well.
Please continue to pray for Marvin Silverthorne for his eyesight to improve.
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Pray for our Missionaries!
Sue Singleton and the mission in Cambodia
Dr. Joe Jordan and the CBM (Cross and Bible Ministries)
Travis and Caroline Fennessy – IBM missionaries to Southeast Asia