Our Daily Bread 21 June 2026 Devotional – Today’s Insight, Bible Reading & Prayer – Sunday ODB Message
Are you searching for the Our Daily Bread 21 June 2026 Devotional Message? You’re in the right place. Today’s devotional offers a refreshing word from Scripture, a heartfelt reflection, and a prayer to start your day with purpose. Whether you’re reading for spiritual growth, daily encouragement, or Bible study, this edition of Our Daily Bread provides the inspiration and wisdom you need to stay rooted in Christ.
TOPIC: The Gift of Prayer
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Esther 3-5; Acts 5:22-42
KEY VERSE: Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people. Ephesians 6:7
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Ephesians 6:1-8
TODAY’S INSIGHT
Family relationships aren’t exempt from challenges of various kinds. In Ephesians 5:21-6:9, Paul spoke to the households of believers in Jesus in the first century. The form of his teaching was similar to how the ancient Greco-Roman world usually structured their households. Several features, however, are noteworthy and distinct for believers in the context of the family (6:1-8). The apostle’s teaching regarding how to relate to each other is preceded by the command to “be filled with the Spirit” (5:18). Dynamics of Spirit-filled living include singing (v. 19), thanksgiving (v. 20), and “[submitting] to one another out of reverence for Christ” (v. 21). Prayer is another essential dimension of Spirit-filled living: “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (6:18). Today, when we’re confronted with difficult family relationships, the Spirit can help us pray for them as we seek to honor God.
Our Daily Bread 21st June 2026 Devotional | MESSAGE
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). Honoring 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.
REFLECTION: How can you honor God when a relationship is difficult? How will you pray for someone who is estranged from you?
PRAYER: Good Father, please show me how I can honor You in and through both healthy and strained relationships.
Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODB) is a Christian organization founded by Dr. Martin De Haan in 1938. It is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with over 600 employees. It produces several devotional publications, including Our Daily Bread. our daily bread devotional for today audio our daily bread booklet.
