#1479. Honour your father and mother (24/3/26)

Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional (posted, at present, every weekday) as we continue our Ephesians series: Ephesians - To the praise, for the purpose, in the power of God.

From Ephesians 6:2–3, we consider what it means to honour our parents and the great promise attached to this command.

To watch this devotional, please select the link below:

We are covering this text throughout this week, today we are going to be focussing on verse 2-3: 

1. Honour is the attitude behind obedience

Paul has just said, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Now he adds the deeper heart issue: honour.

The Greek word timáō means to value, respect, and treat someone as worthy of recognition. In other words, obedience is not merely about actions - it is about the attitude of the heart.

Young people often admire celebrities or influencers. They copy their clothes, their speech, and their style. They treat someone they barely know as worthy of admiration.

If that is so, how much more should children honour their parents?

2. God attaches a promise to this command

Paul supports his teaching by quoting the fifth commandment:

Originally this promise referred to long life in the Promised Land. But Paul broadens the promise for the church:

As the gospel spreads to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), people everywhere must learn how to live in God’s kingdom — including parents and children.

This promise works much like the wisdom of Proverbs: it describes the normal outcome of living God’s way. Healthy family relationships tend to lead to greater stability and wellbeing in life.

For example, research shows that around 90% of rough sleepers have experienced one or more adverse childhood experiences, and 25–33% have spent time in local authority care. When families break down, many of the blessings God intends for us are lost.

Response

How is one to respond to parents who are not worthy of obedience and honour?

All are to seek to obey and honour a parent, even those with bad character, but within the boundaries of conscience and one’s primary obedience to Christ. This is showing the grace of God.

For those of us who are parents, we must teach our children to obey — but even more importantly, to obey with the right attitude of heart. That is what honour looks like.

Teaching matters, but so does our example. The love, joy, fun, and memories we invest in family life shape our children’s willingness to obey with honour.

So we must ask ourselves: Are we worthy of honour?

Do we lose our temper? Do we “throw our toys out of the pram”? Do we show humility, gratitude, and repentance when we make mistakes?

Parents who model these things make it far easier for their children to obey — and to honour them from the heart.

Community Group Notes

1. Notices

It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News.

2. Icebreaker

Something that builds relationships and confidence to share; it’s good to regularly use this moment to ask the group: How has God been speaking to you from His Word this week, and how has this helped you? 

3. Worship together

Let’s begin our time together by lifting our eyes and hearts to worship our great God. Perhaps you have readings and songs that you would like to use together. Let’s be open to the gifts that the Spirit wants to give in order to encourage one another.

4. Study and pray together

Balanced Time Allocation - Please ensure a balanced focus on discussion, SIV (Serve, Invest, and Invite), and prayer so that each section is meaningful and fruitful.

On Sunday, we continued our new series entitled: Ephesians: to the praise, for the purpose, in the power of God. 

From Ephesians 6:1-4, we learn that God has a design for family relationships that lead to flourishing.

Please read Ephesians 6:1–4 and discuss:

• Personal reflection – From Sunday’s message and this passage, what stood out to you? Was there anything the Holy Spirit particularly impressed on your heart?

• The command and the promise – What is the promised outcome of obeying this command? In light of this, what might be the consequences of neglecting or disobeying it?

• To children – This instruction is given to all children, both young and old. What does it look like in practice to obey and honour parents? How can we do this faithfully, even when parents are not believers or do not act in godly ways?

• To parents – What are parents warned to avoid, and why? How do ‘training’ (discipline and correction) and ‘instruction’ (intentional, godly teaching) serve as the antidote to exasperating or provoking children to anger?

SIV (Serve, Invest, and Invite)

• The witness of godly families -  From our text, how does godly family life bring glory to Jesus in this world? 

• Sharing Stories – Have you had any recent opportunities to Serve, Invest in, or Invite someone toward Jesus? Let’s encourage one another by sharing stories of how we’ve seen God at work through simple faithfulness.

• Practical Next Steps – Who might God be placing on your heart at this time? Are there any “people of peace” (see note) in your life—those who seem open, welcoming, or receptive to spiritual conversation?

Let’s Pray Together

• Please pray for the Easter period - for both our Good Friday and Easter services - pray for opportunities, and the love, to take those opportunities to invite people. 

• Pray for courage, wisdom, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit in our Serve, Invest, and Invite opportunities.

• Pray specifically for the ‘people of peace’ in our lives - that God would open hearts and deepen relationships.

• General prayer: From our study, or from personal needs, how do people want prayer?