Philemon: Fixing Fellowship pt 4
The Gospel is about reconciliation. God being reconciled to humanity through the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But how often do we think about how this ‘Gospel reconciliation’ impacts our relationships with each other? The apostle Paul challenged his dear friend Philemon to be reconciled to his former slave, Onesimus, who ran away from him. In Paul’s encouragement to Philemon to forgive his former slave, we see an amazing picture of how the Gospel transforms our relationships — especially with those who have wronged us.
7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.
Reflection: When you think about your fellowship with your sisters and brothers at church, consider: are you someone who seeks to give encouragement to others? Philemon loves his church. His love is an infectious love and deeply encourages those around him. Imagine if we all loved like this. Imagine what that would do to our fellowship and unity. Perhaps you may think that you don’t have anything to offer. But a simple smile and listening ear can make a huge difference to someone. If we are called to be a community that is deeply committed to one another, then why not pray that God would work in your heart to enable you to be someone who loves to refresh others.
What is it that stops you from encouraging others? What little thing can you do today, to refresh someone in your church?
Prayer: Lord, may you help me to be someone who seeks to refresh others. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear how I can be a blessing to others for the sake of Christ.
Angus is one of the pastors at Orange Presbyterian Church. He and Steph have three children, a puppy and a veggie garden.
This devotion first appeared in the Bible Society’s Daily Bible Devotions, February 2023
More Reflections.
Often, we build something up so much in our minds, that the experience we want becomes almost unattainable. We romanticise what we think it will be like and we think “If I can just do this one thing or tick this one experience off my bucket list, then I will be able to feel a sense of fulfilment that I wouldn’t necessarily have had otherwise”.