Ephesians 6:1-4 – Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land”. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Paul now comes to the second key relationship of his day: children & parents. 
Again, in each of these three relationships, the first partner (in this case the child) is responsible to be submissive to the second (in this case the parents). The second partner is also submissive to a higher authority (God) and they are to relate to the first partner in love.
In a perfect world, children would have an inward love and respect for their parents. This would manifest itself in obedience to their instructions, listening to their wisdom and treating them with dignity and respect. In turn, the parents are to be good examples to their children, loving them, correcting them, providing for them, protecting them, and most of all, introducing them to Christ.
Jesus is the highest and best example we have. He was in perfect obedience to Mary and Joseph as well as his heavenly father at all times. There was mutual love and respect between himself and his earthly parents as well as between himself and the father.
Most unfortunately, the world is marred by sin. In every other parent-child relationship, mistakes are made on both sides, even in Christian households. When this happens, all we can do is address the issue, ask for forgiveness and move on in love. Even if they are not perfect, healthy loving relationships can exhibit the love of Christ to a lost world.
Ephesians 6:5-9 – Bondservants, 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 bondservants 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 anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, do the same to them and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.
Lastly, Paul comes to the relationship of servants & masters.
In this relationship, the first partner (in this case the servant) is responsible to be submissive to the second (in this case the master). The second partner is also submissive to a higher authority (God) and they are to relate to the first partner in love.
The world “bondservant” denotes one who is bound to render service to another, whether that service is for life or for a limited time. Therefore, it could be used to mean a slave, but in could also reflect an employee-employer relationship.
The employee is to serve his boss faithfully, regardless of whether the boss is watching or not. What kind of an employee are you?
A boss is to treat his employees fairly and justly. What kind of boss are you?
What conclusions can we draw from these passages of scripture?
No one is exempt from being under authority. Of the six roles listed, you will likely find yourself in more than one. You are already a child, and it is probable that at some point you will either be an employee or a boss. You may also become a father or mother, a husband or a wife. Regardless of which roles you fit into, Jesus is the highest and best example to follow. We know that Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth, yet he submitted to the authority of his earthly parents as well as his Heavenly Father. When you are in a place of authority, exercise that right carefully; you are responsible for the way you treat those under you. When you are in a place of submission, do your best to glorify God.
Christianity is practical. 2 Corinthians 3:2-2 says “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Since you are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart”. In other words, people need to see we belong to Christ by our actions, not just our words. We can reflect Christ by doing the right thing in our relationships. Given the fallen state of our world, that can be a very tricky business. We must depend on God for wisdom and the ability to forgive one another. 
We have hope for the future. All through the ages, marriage has been a picture of the union between Christ and the church. While that picture has become more clear since the death and resurrection of Jesus, we know it has not yet been completely fulfilled. We can have hope knowing that someday, Jesus will perfect the church. She will be “without spot or wrinkle”. Someday, we will be completely and eternally free from the bondage of sin.
Don’t EVER give up in your Christian walk! God has ultimate victory for you through Christ. This message of hope is not just for the church as a whole. It is for you as an individual. My guess is that you are somewhat like me – not a perfect child, not a perfect parent, not a perfect employee and not a perfect marriage partner. At times, Satan would like to whisper in your ear how much you have failed. He wants you to believe that you should give up, based on your performance so far. He may also be telling you that you will never make it through the bad situation you are in right now. He may be pointing out what a failure you have been in relationships. He tells you that you are not qualified to share God’s love with anyone. When Satan comes against you with these false ideas, just re-read the book of Ephesians. Here are some things for close consideration:
Satan tries to make you feel guilty based on the past or present, but God has already taken care of that. He looks at what you will become. He considers you a saint – Ephesians 1:2.
Even though you are not yet perfect, you are forgiven and God has blessed you with every spiritual blessing possible (seriously, EVERY ONE. He is not holding anything back from you) – Ephesians 1:3.
God chose YOU to be blameless and holy in his sight, before the world was ever in existence. He knew you would sin, but he also knew he would rescue you from it, so Satan has no grounds to condemn you - Ephesians 1:4.
God chose to adopt YOU as his precious child. He desired you so much, that he paid the ultimate price for you…the blood of Jesus. He has never regretted that decision. He is actively working to perfect his relationship with you – Ephesians 1:5-7.
God pours his grace upon us “lavishly”. Lavish means superabundant or excessive. It means ‘to expend or bestow profusely’. God is not stingy with his love, his forgiveness or with any of the gifts he gives us. He blesses you gladly and freely; He has a plan unite you with himself, despite your short comings – Ephesians 1:8-10.
Even though you are not yet perfect, you are sealed with the precious and all powerful Holy Spirit – Ephesians 1:11-14.
As we close this section on relationships, I want you to keep in mind that all people are imperfect. Even if they love you, they can still disappoint you or mistreat you or break your heart. However, God loves you perfectly and completely and eternally. Don’t judge his love by the love of humans.