2) Our Daily Bread for 21 June 2026 titled The Gift of Prayer



Ephesians 6:1-8



Ephesians 6



Children and Parents



1 (Pr 6:20; 23:22) Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

2 (Ex 20:12) "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment

with a promise,

3 "so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."

4 (Ge 18:19; Dt 6:7) Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,

but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.



[1] Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

[2] Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with

promise;)

[3] That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

[4] And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up

in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.



Servants and Masters



5 (1Co 2:3; Eph 5:22) Servants, obey those who are your masters according

to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of your heart,

as to Christ,

6 not serving when eyes are on you, but as pleasing men as the servants

of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

7 with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,

8 (Col 3:24; 3:11) knowing that whatever good thing any man does,

he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is enslaved or free.



[5] Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the

flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

[6] Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ,

doing the will of God from the heart;

[7] With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:

[8] Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he

receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.



I trudged into the grocery store to buy a Father's Day card. I had forgiven my

father. I'd tried reconciling over the years - prayerfully processing the

hurts inflicted before and after I'd left home at fifteen. Sadly, decades

later, I still couldn't relate to the cards that had messages gushing with

gratitude for the "greatest" dads. So, desperate to honor my heavenly Father,

I stood in that card aisle and prayed for my earthly father.



From Adam and Cain to David and Absalom to my father and me, sin has caused

multigenerational strife and heartbreak. Still, the apostle Paul encouraged

children to obey their parents "in the Lord,

for this is right" (Ephesians 6:1). Honouring parents is a command that comes

with a promise and a reward (vv. 2-3). In turn, fathers were meant to raise

children to know and love God (v. 4). God’s people are designed to serve each

other "wholeheartedly, as if [we] were serving the Lord, not people" (v. 7).

Unfortunately, sin can destroy these relationships.



No matter what our relationship status with our parents is, we can thank God

for the people He chose to use when He gave us life, and we can pray they

enjoy a life-transforming relationship with Christ. Prayer that leads to Jesus

is a gift of love and honor that can lead to changed relationships and lives.



By: Xochitl Dixon

Reflect & Pray



How can you honor God when a relationship is difficult?

How will you pray for someone who is estranged from you?



Good Father, please show me how I can honour You in

and through both healthy and strained relationships.



3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation



Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools



Week 1 Knowing God's Word Day 1 - God's Perspective



Philippians 4:13



13 (2Co 12:9-10; Eph 3:16) I can do all things because

of Christ who strengthens me.



13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.



Many of us live out self-fulfilling prophecies. We believe

what we tell ourselves - or what we have been told by others:

"You're stupid", "You're ugly", "You'll never amount to anything,"

"You can't do anything right."

We programme ourselves for spiritual failure as well.

"I just can't memorise Scripture," we say. "It comes and goes,

and I can't seem to get it to stay." Yet daily we memorise

volumes of information that is less significant than the

Scriptures - telephone numbers, identification codes,

songs lyrics, advertising jingles.

The answer to the dilemma of negativism is not positive

thinking, but right thinking - biblical thinking, according

to what the Bible reveals of God's perspective. God says,

"You are worthwhile. You are valued. You are loved. I created you

just as you are, and whatever I call you to do,

I will give you the strength to do it.

The context of Phillipians 4:13 shows that Paul had learned

this important secret of spiritual strength. Paul had known

poverty and plenty, trouble and victory. But he also knew

he did not have to let circumstances determine his response to God's will.

We need not be controlled by the negative messages life throws in our paths

- even those self-defeating pronouncements we make to ourselves.

Rather, we can respond according to God's perspective, with the

conviction that God has given us strength we need to meet the

challenges we face.



Application



a) What challenges do I face that make me realise my own insufficiencies?

IS memorising Scripture one of those challenges for me?



b) How does today's memory verse help me face those challenges?



4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland



Romans 13:7-8



7 (Mt 17:25; 22:21) Render to all what is due them: taxes to whom taxes

are due, respect to whom respect is due, fear to whom fear is due,

and honor to whom honour is due.

8 (Ro 13:10; Mt 7:12) Owe no one anything, except to love one another,

for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.



7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due;

custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth

another hath fulfilled the law.