Philemon 1:4-6
Rebecca Lightfoot
Philemon1:4-6 is a brief statement from Paul that is HUGE in it’s significance for our relationship with Christ.When we sincerely ask Jesus to come into our life to save us from our sin,HE places HIS Holy Spirit in us to help us transform our mind/heart/life from what we were because of sin,into what our Father in Heaven created us to be without sin’s influence->the process of sanctification enabled by the in dwelling of The Holy Spirit.Like a seed planted in soil,the significance of The Holy Spirit’s presence in our mind/heart/life(our acceptance & the benefits of The Holy Spirit’s HELP in the process of sanctification)is dependent on how we personally nurture this Gift of The Lord in our mind/heart/life.Just as an athlete must incorporate a full nurturing program as he/she seeks to achieve a goal,we should apply the same to our lives as we appreciate the significance of the process of sanctification for our lives.This includes feeding our mind/heart/live with GOOD things as defined by GOD,and then exercising those things in our mind/heart/live in order to strengthen new “muscle fibers”in our life!When Paul writes to Philemon,he knows that Philemon has been growing in his knowledge of God’s Word and his appreciation for The Gospel of Christ.So in Philemon1:4-6 he says,”I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers,because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints,and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.”.Knowing that Philemon has been growing in his love for The Lord and that he has a faith that has been founded in the sound teachings of Jesus Christ....the one thing that Paul is now praying for in Philemon’s life is that he exercise this faith/strengthen this faith, by “sharing” how his mind/heart/life has been changed by The Gospel of Christ->by just living according to the changes occurring in his life as he grows in his walk with The Lord.When the way we think;respond;talk;love;empathize;prioritize;value;play;discipline;work;socialize,etc., are changed to be more Christ like because of our seeking & following Christ,our FAITH grows & it is strengthened....and the way we live among others/our “life walk” becomes the most effective way of sharing our FAITH!Truth is,the way we think;respond;talk;love;empathize;prioritize;value;play;discipline;work;socialize,etc., are determined by what we believe/have FAITH in!When we think;respond;talk;love;empathize;prioritize;value;play;discipline;work;socialize,etc.,like the world around us,we are living with the same belief system/FAITH as the world around us!When we think;respond;talk;love;empathize;prioritize;value;play;discipline;work;socialize,etc.,more and more like The Lord teaches and The Holy Spirit guides us,then we are living “as if” we truly TRUST The Lord/have FAITH in The Lord as we “life walk” with The Lord through our day.As we walk with The Lord like this,our LIFE shares our FAITH with the world around us->a FAITH that is very different from the world around us! This is when our lives become effective “for the sake of Christ”,as stated at the end of Philemon1:6!If we are not exercising what we are learning about Christ in our life like this,then our lives are not becoming more and more effective “for the sake of Christ”,but we are remaining a part of the “support system” for the way the world around us thinks;responds;talks;loves;empathizes;prioritizes;values;plays;disciplines;works;socializes,etc.,& there is little that happens in us & around us “for the sake of Christ”!Dear Lord,this lesson in Philemon embarrasses me by revealing how much of me is living with a faith that is so much like that of the world,& so unlike a True FAITH in YOU!Help me to be more aware of this in me,& help me to change this about me...so my life will become a living demonstration of truly believing everything about YOU and everything that YOU teach in Your Word for my sake,& for the sake of those around me...