A Brother In The Lord
I
always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your
love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. I pray that your
partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding
of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Your love has given me
great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of
the Lord’s people.
Therefore,
although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do,
yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than
Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— that I appeal to you
for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in
chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to
you and to me.
I am sending him—who
is my very heart—back to you. I would have liked to keep him with me so that he
could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. But I
did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do
would not seem forced but would be voluntary. Perhaps
the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have
him back forever— no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear
brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and
as a brother in the Lord.
Philemon
1:4-16
We are all prisoners
somewhere, sometime. The important thing is to rely on God, and to become a
prisoner of Christ, and do it willingly.
There are all kinds
of confinements, wheelchairs, vision, bars on windows.
To be
under Christ’s control is to have true freedom. Find a friend to confide in,
tell your own story, and your own bindings will be released.
Our Daily
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