Oh, the beauty of Your creation, Father! Absolutely nothing man has ever done or ever will do can equal the blessing of snow coming down and covering the earth! The detail, the diversity, the enormity of it all causes me to lift Your name in praise, Almighty God!
Philemon 8-25 (<<click here)
Lord, even good people – devout followers of You – sometimes have to be encouraged to stop…and think… about doing what is right. Philemon had every “right” to deal with Onesimus, after all he was his property, he had run away, it’s implied that he may even have taken something that was not his to take. Everyone would have backed him in whatever action he chose to take – everyone that is except Paul.
Paul’s testimony was that Onesimus was a new man – Christ had changed him to the core. Philemon had lost out on many fronts but had gained on so many more!
It is easy for me to feel put out – someone doesn’t drive (or park!) the way I think they should, I can’t take my break when I want to, my fries are cold, someone questions my “authority”, etc. ad nauseam. I could become angry, I could demand my own way. I could seek revenge. I could refuse to forgive…
Wait a minute! Am I innocent? Am I perfect? Just on a human to human level I fail miserably! That’s bad enough, Lord, but what about my relationship with You? Talk about ad nauseam. I’m sorry for my self-righteous attitude. Jesus, we both know there is absolutely no room for that whatsoever.
I don’t really know what Philemon did but I hope that he looked at his own life and all God had done for him and then embraced Onesimus as a treasure that was lost that was now found. Lord, may I have Your mindset in how I respond in every situation today and every day!
Feb 10th, Wed, 7:49 am
