Philemon, Day 1
Introduction and Thankfulness for Philemon (Philemon 1 – 7)
“I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you” (Philemon 1 – 7).
The book of Philemon was written by Paul to Philemon and his family who lived in Colosse. Philemon was a Christian who owned at least one slave during a time when owning slaves was commonplace. While the Bible does not specifically speak out against slavery, it does mention in several places how slave owners should treat their slaves. During this time period, slaves were typically treated well since their owners by this time realized that treating their slaves fairly resulted in better results. It is also important to note that the Bible describes all people as valuable no matter what their background is or what their social status might be. Societies will always have their “classes,” but we as Christians need to respect and love all people. No matter what your station of life is, we are all called to glorify and honor God.
After Paul introduces himself and those with him, he expresses his satisfaction with Philemon as a believer. Philemon had a reputation for showing love to fellow believers, and they were blessed by his actions. If Paul were writing a letter to you describing your reputation, what would he write? Do you have a reputation of loving others or yourself? Do you look for ways to help others in need or do you look to satisfy your own desires? We can all be guilty of being selfish from time to time, but how do people see us on a regular basis? You see, Philemon had wealth, and even though we do not know how much wealth he had, we know that he used it to take care of others. What do you do with your wealth, whether great or small? Do you use it to help others who are less fortunate? Do you go out of your way to help encourage those who need encouragement? In today’s society, we need more Christians helping one another and being willing to work together. All too often, we end up causing disunity because we are only seeking our own benefit.
Paul also prays that Philemon’s ministry of sharing the Gospel would be effective and grow. Paul knows that Philemon is a light in his community and he wants Philemon’s ministry to be effective. I don’t think Paul ever cared about getting attention for himself. His main goal was to see people come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and it did not bother him at all to see someone else excel in spreading the Gospel. Isn’t that encouraging? Imagine if every Christian were like that. We can learn quite a bit about being a follower of Christ by following Paul’s actions. As he said in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” May you be challenged today to follow the examples of both Paul and Philemon.
Pastor David Guenin