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Philemon 21-22
In Philemon 21-22 the Apostle Paul expresses his deeply found confidence in the obedience to God through Christ Jesus that is found in Philemon. Paul suspects that due to the nature of God’s Holy Spirit working through Philemon, he will not only accept the plea of Paul for Onesimus but will give further blessings unknown to Paul at this time. Paul also gives encouraging words that through the prayers of Philemon, God would find a way to allow Paul to be released from prison so that Paul could visit Philemon in person.
This is an example of the love and trust we should have in our Christian brothers and sisters through our salvation and working of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives.
The Apostle John describes the love we should have in 1 John 4:10-11 (NKJV), “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” He also explains how we can find this type of love as he states in 1 John 4:15-16, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”
Sometimes to forgive others takes an act of love that is beyond our way of thinking; it takes the love of God working in our lives to reach this level of love and forgiveness for others. As Jesus taught the proper way to pray in Matthew 6:8-13, He also explains in Matthew 6:14 why we are to do so, as He teaches, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Dear LORD,
As Your children in Christ Jesus, we are to follow in the footsteps of Him. Please help us to develop the forgiving love that You have shown to our undeserving lives to others as we are the representatives of Jesus in the world today. In Jesus name I pray, amen.