Ephesians 6:6 (WEB)

Passage

not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

Nearby Context

Ephesians 6:4 You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:5 Servants, be obedient to those who according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ;

Ephesians 6:6 not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

Ephesians 6:7 with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men;

Ephesians 6:8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive the same again from the Lord, whether he is bound or free.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "will of God", "service", "only", "eyes", "pleasers", "servants", "christ", and "doing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "will of God" and "service", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Servants be obedient to those who according..." into verse 7's "with good will doing service as to...", so "will of God" and "service" belong inside that flow. In Ephesians context, the local focus is grace, union with Christ, the church, and new creation.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "will of God" and "service" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.