For the Sake of Love (Philemon 8-9)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11-17-02

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  For the sake of love

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Philemon 8-9

 

            Message of the verse:  “8 Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, 9 yet for love's sake I rather appeal to you --since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus.”  (NAS95)  “That is why I am boldly asking a favor of you, I could demand it in the name of Christ because it is the right thing for you to do, but because of our love, I prefer just to ask you.  So take this as a request from you friend Paul, and old man, now in prison for the sake of Christ Jesus.”  (NLT)

            At the time of this writing Paul would have been around sixty years old, he was in prison for the cause of Jesus Christ and His Gospel, and he had gone through many persecutions and hard times for the cause of Christ.  He did not complain because of these events in his life, but knew that the Lord was in control of his life and believed it a privilege to serve Christ in this manner.  He was an apostle and had authority from this position and could demand that Philemon deal kindly with Onesimus, however Paul appealed to the love that he and Philemon had for each other and for the cause of Christ.  He would not demand that Philemon do the correct thing here, but allow him to make the decision on what to do with Onesimus in this case.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I read this letter and the story that it contains I cannot help but think about why the Law of Moses, or really the law of God, was so ineffective when it came to having people do the right thing.  You see the law used in a sinful persons life can have the opposite effective on that person because he has a sin nature that never wants to do the correct thing.  Now when Jesus came and paid the price for the believer’s salvation the believer became a new creature and was given a new nature that always wants to do right.  Jesus gave the commandment that we should love one another and as we look at the sacrifice that He willingly paid for our sin, and because we have a new nature and the Holy Spirit living in us we can obey this commandment and others because of our love that we have for Christ and his cause.  I now have the power in my life to love others and do the right thing for the sake of love, Christ’s love.

 

The Word of God was inspirational to me today.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I trust the Lord to allow me to get to Church and back without having a lot of trouble with my IBS.  I give myself to Him today and put on all of the spiritual armor to defeat the enemy when he attacks me.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Romans 11:33-36:  “Oh, the debt of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord?” Or who has become His counselor?” “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?”  For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever.  Amen.”