Daily Devotional for Tuesday 13th February
Partners in faith
What a fascinating letter. It’s only 500 words in total and doesn’t take long to read, but its content is revolutionary. You see Onesimus was a runaway slave and Philemon was his owner. There’s a suggestion in v18 that Onesimus may have taken cash for his escape. A situation like this for a slave would have resulted in a severe penalty, even the death sentence.
Right from the outset Paul is unconventional. He ignores his Apostolic authority and describes himself as a ‘prisoner of Christ Jesus’ moving on to describe Philemon as both a friend and fellow worker. Philemon as a Christian must have been an outstanding role model for others in Colossae. Just look at verses 4-7 to see how Paul describes him. He speaks of his faith in God and love for his fellow Christians; his partnership in supporting the church in Colossae and his eagerness to grow as a Christian. All of this gives Paul great joy and encouragement as well as refreshing his fellow Christians. What a testimonial.
But this letter has to do with a runaway slave. We don’t know how Onesimus became a Christian or how he met Paul, but we do know that by the time Paul wrote this letter, he was describing Onesimus as somebody who was really useful to him and had become like a son!
So the scene is set for a radical request for Philemon, which we will pick up on tomorrow.
Time to reflect…
If Paul were to write a testimonial for you, how would it compare to Philemon’s? Paul was careful about the way he worded his letter. How careful are we with the way we write to other people?
Pause to pray…
Heavenly Father, guard the words we use as we speak or write to others and help us to grow more like you, so that we may become a role model to other Christians like your servant Philemon.Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
