8 Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required,9 yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you
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Sometimes, we just know that we are right. When it comes to sound doctrine and the conviction of the spirit...we may know for certain that we are right about a certain subject. Paul as a true servant of the Lord Jesus Christ had every right to command these people to do what is required, but he for LOVE's sake appealed to them...pleaded with them. When it comes to leadership, sometimes we have to command and make sure people are doing the right thing...but to be an inspirational leader, your commands, actions, and interactions with your subordinates/team friends must be smothered in love. I like this verse a whole lot.
6and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full(A) knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.
ReplyDeleteverse 6
Paul is praying that sharing of the faith would be useful. This is so along the line of what we have been talking and praying about in d-group. My bible say it slightly differently, that we would become active in sharing our faith. This is still our prayer todoy in everything we do.
7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the heart of the saints."
ReplyDeleteHow often do we rejoice in other's love for Christ? How many times does our hearts warm just because of someone else's relationship with our Lord? I think it is important to keep in mind that we can learn from other's relationships and it can encourage us in our faith just as it encouraged Paul. Just by loving God, we can encourage others.
I must admit that I didn't find any verse that really stuck out to me, but I can at least discuss how I'd like to apply this to my life.
ReplyDeletePhilemon is a letter from Paul to the slave owner Philemon in which he is more or less pleading for the life of Onesimus, a slave who ran away from Philemon and could thus be put to death under Roman law. Paul points out that it would be good to spare the life of Onesimus, particularly because he recently came to faith and also states that Onesimus is now his brother, not just his slave.
I think that this book shows us how we should treat each other as brothers in Christ, particularly those seen as being "under" us. They should be beloved. I think it also speaks to the freedom that we have in Christ, which can be seen in verse 16.
17-18 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.
ReplyDeleteThis is an incredible picture of the grace of the Gospel. Onesimus was indebted to Philemon for wrongs he had done to him. Paul steps in and asks to have the debt placed upon his own head. Paul appeals to Philemon on the basis of their relationship saying let me take his debt and receive him as you would receive me.
In the same way, we are indebted to God for the sins in our lives. Jesus Christ then takes our debt upon himself so that we can be received by God the Father as if he were receiving Christ. We have been given the sonship of Christ.
How beautiful is the Gospel! Let us rejoice in it!
6 And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ.
ReplyDeleteOh man this is what I need to be reading every second of every day. Paul is telling us(indirectly) to put our faith into action out of the Joy that we have being in relationship with Jesus Christ. Man that is an amazing thing to be thankful for an act upon. In our daily lives we act upon many things we are thankful for the Christ just kinda goes into background mode.
All is Great in Christ Jesus
4 "I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers...."
ReplyDeleteI feel like this really simple verse points out an important thing that we often forget: we take people for granted. We should be doing what Paul does here and thank God for the friends and mentors in our lives who help keep us strong and focused on God. But.....how often does that actually happen? I pray for brothers every now and then, but this verse reminds me that I need to spend more time reflecting on the gifts God has bestowed on me in the form of my brothers.
-DA
Drew, I agree! Even if it seems a little awkward at first, I have begun trying to say to people, "I thank God for you" and mean it. It does a work on your heart.
ReplyDelete6-7 I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.
ReplyDeleteThe first verse says pretty directly that it is through actively sharing our faith that we obtain a full understanding of the many wonderful things our lives have been blessed with. This can refer to many things from the many blessings and opportunities in our lives from birth to the joy and fulfillment that comes from leading a life not only in Christ but for Christ with Him as our top priority. This can also alude to the greatest thing that comes from our faith which is a place in heaven for eternity. While these are all good interpretations, I think mayble Paul is aluding to all of these things by the way that he states it as a FULL understanding of EVERY good thing we have in Christ. I also think that verse 7 has a very good point in how we can build each other up by showing God's love and making sure our actions provide joy and encouragement. It's a convicting thing to think about if we asked those around us especially our brothers, who we are closest to, about our effect on their lives, would they have these kind of praises for us? Are we really building each other up with God's love as much as we should be? We should be that source of love, joy, and encouragement in each other's lives.