Philemon 1:7

Main Thought: Here in this brief letter of the apostle Paul to Philemon, his brother in Christ, we see a personal glimpse into the life of the apostle. We all know that after beginning his apostolic ministry, Paul suffered much hardship, persecution, and heartache for the cause of Christ. He spoke of being defamed and being treated as the filth of the world (1 Cor. 4:13) and also spoke of being beaten, shipwrecked, and the dangers he faced from his persecutors resulting in many sleepless nights for his faithfulness to the message of the Gospel (2 Cor. 11:23-29). However, here we find that Paul speaks, not of his hardships, but of how he and other saints have come to know joy and comfort having been refreshed by this brother in the Lord. This passage reminds us as believers of the encouragement that we should be and need to be to our brothers and sisters in Christ. None of us have suffered and undergone the hardship Paul did, but all of us do go through difficulties that weigh us down spiritually and physically. How refreshing and joyous it is to our souls when a brother or sister in Christ, in love, reaches out to encourage us and lift us up, coming alongside us with a card, a note, a phone call, or simply puts their arms around us and gives us encouragement. There is not a single one of us who are God’s children that cannot do this. We have been given the gift of love because of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, and whether it is easy or not, we should frequently encourage and lift up those who are a part of our spiritual family. As Philemon did for Paul and other saints, think of someone today who you know needs encouragement and reach out to them in the love of Christ. It will be a blessing both for them and you.