Saturday 16 Jun 2018

June 16: Philemon 1:1-7

Key Verse: Philemon 1:4
I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers

Devotion:
One of our problems in life is that when things get us down, we tend to retract into a safe place or shell, becoming very quiet about things. We can learn a lot from Paul’s example here when he was in prison (just one of the times!) His thoughts and prayers were not for himself or his fellow prisoners, but for those people out there in the open world. He knew he was in God’s safe hands because he knew he was going to get persecuted for doing God’s will, but any desperation in his circumstances does not come out in his letter at all. He is being held in prison, probably under very bad conditions (prisons back then were nothing like the humane places there are now where some people seem to dictate people get treated like they are on holiday rather than in prison) but that is not what the letter is about.

Paul’s letter is about people making amends after they have done wrong. It is about accepting someone who is willing to ask for forgiveness. It is about accepting fellow Christians when they have repented. It is about accepting people in the same manner as Christ would accept them – with open arms, forgetting about what has happened in the past. If Christ is able to forgive us and to forget about our sins in the past, should we then not be willing to at least try and do that for others who are willing to try again?

You see, being a Christians is about thinking about others. We do get very involved with our own circumstances and often forget about other people in our lives. We often forget about family life too which is so important. God gave us into families for a reason. He wants us to be safe, secure and loved in our families. He wants us to build up our churches like families. He wants us to be able to turn to others and treat them like brothers and sisters too. Getting involved with Christ means we must continue to uphold our relationship with Him, our relationship with our families and our relationship with others in the church too – and in that order. If we cannot be with family, prayer can. If we cannot be with friends, prayer can. Show God you do care by placing your prayers in His grip.

Points to Ponder:
How often do you lift up your family life in prayer?

How often do you uphold your life with Christ?