His Love Frees

Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people. (Paul’s letter to Philemon)

I was thinking about job titles this morning. A quick browse of the LinkedIn social media channel for businesses comes up with a lot of positive, seemingly powerful positions: thought leader, influencer, chief executive officer and the like. And then God directed me firstly to the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus sweated blood, which I wrote about recently – reminding me of what is important: that this wonderful God came into the world to suffer and die for us. It requires all of our attention. 

Then I was drawn to the letter Paul wrote to Philemon and several thoughts occurred. Firstly, we have Paul describing himself as a “prisoner of Christ Jesus.” Imagine that as a Linkedin job title! ‘Paul – a prisoner of Christ Jesus, in chains for the gospel’! I don’t think I’ve seen that echoed by many ministry leaders! It’s more like “chief operating officer (i.e. ‘important person’), author of 40 books, travelled to 30 countries”. Yet the calling by Christ, as exemplified by Paul the prisoner, is for us to lay down our lives and by doing so, lifting up the importance of the Lord.

I don’t mean we shouldn’t write down what we ‘do’ but in an attitude of humility and integrity, and within the overriding onus of honoring the Lord alone. Our secret lives, the resumes that matter and known to God only, should be littered with acts of kindness, of loving and encouraging each other. And this is where Philemon himself is so interesting and a great example for us to find inspiration. He has gained a reputation for showing love and faith, to the point that Paul relishes the prospect of partnering with him. Paul also knows he can trust him about the issue of Onesimus, whom he is sending back to him, “knowing that you will do even more than I ask.”

More than that, I believe, is the specific legacy Philemon has built for “refreshing” the Lord’s people. What a wonderful reputation to have! That would be his LinkedIn description: “Philemon: a Refresher: prioritizes love and faith.” I want to be like that, how about you? It has me wondering how I can refresh other people, build them up rather than pull them down? Am I refreshing others in my interactions with them? A challenge I think from the heart of God. Lord, help me to be a refresher too, in your strength!

Thank You For Supporting My Writing!