A Concern for People (Philemon 5:b)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/1/2017 10:18 PM

My Worship Time                                                                            Focus:  A Concern For People

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Philemon 5b

            Message of the verses:  “because I hear of your love…toward all the saints”

            I have to say that these next few Spiritual Diaries from the letter to Philemon are going to be very short.

            John MacArthur writes “This verse exhibits a chiastic construction in the Greek text.  The first part of the verse, ‘love,’ goes with the last phrase, ‘toward all the saints.’

            “Agape (‘love’) is the love of will and choice, of self-sacrifice and humility.  Love is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22) and a manifestation of genuine saving faith (Gal. 5:6; 1 John 3:14).  Believers should not need to be taught this love (1 Thess. 4:9) because its source is already in them in the indwelling Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5).

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,” (Gal. 5:22).

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love” (Gal. 5:6).

“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death” (1 John 3:14).

“Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;” (1 Thes. 4:9).

“And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom. 5:5).       

“Because Philemon’s faith was real, it manifested itself in true biblical love.  That love expressed itself in a concern for people.  Philemon’s concern for people gave him the ability to forgive.”

            Forgiveness is the major theme of this letter that Paul wrote to Philemon.  It is a wonderful thing, to me, how the Bible is put together, especially the New Testament as we see in this letter to Philemon that his slave just happened to run away and end up in the presence of the apostle Paul while he was in prison in Rome.  This was all God’s plan from eternity past and sometimes we as believers don’t see things that God is doing in our lives until we take the time to look back and take a good look at our lives.  I am sure that Philemon and Onesimus took the time to look back at their lives.

7/1/2017 10:29 PM