Ephesians 6:1-9

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." There is no other reason needed. Obey your parents because it is right. In addition to obeying our parents, we are also to honor them. And we do this "that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land." That is quite a promise to hold onto when tempted to dishonor your parents. Paul then addresses fathers. "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." Paul first addresses the child's disposition to the authority placed in their lives, then how those in authority must use that authority. They are not to provoke to anger, but rather are to shape their children into those who praise the name of the Lord. Discipline, or the shaping of the will through training is going to take time, and many times be quite unpleasant for the discipliner as well as the disciplinee. But we are not called to live easy lives after conversion. We have been saved to do extravagant things for Christ! Extravagant things take much toil. The great promise that must be grasped tightly is this: that you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength (Philippians 4:13).

"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good he does, that he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free." This makes perfect sense, mainly because it goes against everything that today's culture is telling us. I've found that if we desire to see the way of the Lord, one can look at the world around him. If what you believe is the will of the Lord is the opposite of today's culture, then I'd be willing to bet that you're at the very least on the right track if you have not found it precisely. This command is so very counter-cultural. It goes against everything that the world tells you. Today's culture desires to answer to no one, not even themselves. They do this for this reason: if they have no one to answer to for their actions, then there are no consequences for those actions. So disobeying a master and doing whatever you will rather that carrying out the master's is completely acceptable in this day and age. This means that in obeying this command from Scripture, we will be mocked and reviled, for the world is being reminded of what they should be doing, and thus being convicted. If convicted, they will either ignore us or become angry with us (most times the latter).