Ephesians 6:1-9 True obedience comes from the heart

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him. The Golden Rule: Treat others as you want to be treated. In our world their are hierarchies of authority. The Lord God is over all and has given authority on earth. Leaders lead the people and in the masses there are sub-categories of authority such as governors, mayors, coaches, bosses and the like. All who under their authority owe obedience to them, but not only in observation, but in doing well from the heart. In the family we have fathers and mothers who have authority to their children and to one another. Here too we must serve each other out of love and not duty. In the end, the final judge of our conduct is Christ. He will separate the genuine from the fake and those who are false will be separated from their master and live alone in wanting while the obedient will receive their reward according to their works of obedience from the heart.