Friday April 17^th-Walking in Wisdom!

I Corinthians 13-True Love!

This is one of my favorite chapters of the bible.  It is about God’s love and not what we think is love.  This type of love is called agape love-it involves faithfulness, commitment and an act of the will, it is always shown by what it does.  I refer to this chapter often in my life.  It helps keep me in check about how I react to and treat others, esp. those who are hard to love.  It is a perfect example of God’s love for us.

I Corinthans 13:1-3
​ If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Have you ever known someone who does so much for others but you wonder if their heart is truly in it?  They may be great at what they do, but something is missing.

:4-7  Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.
It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].
It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.
Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].
Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].   [Amplified Bible]

This is what I call tough love! 

Today’s  tough love is an expression used when someone treats another person harshly or sternly with the intent to help them in the long run.  Wikipedia

How we have twisted God’s word! 

So next time you are struggling with someone ask yourself are you really loving them?

Ephesians 4: 32-Be kind to one another , tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

John 3:16    For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Hebrews 12: 1-3  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all!

Lyn

Paul writes this brief letter to Philemon, a Christian brother, asking him to forgive and take back Onesimus (his former slave). Onesimus had run away from Philemon and apparently he had stolen from him. But now he has become a Christian and is helping Paul in prison.

As Paul greets Philemon showing his love and respect, he also appeals on behalf of “his spiritual son” Onesimus:

“I am sending him back. You therefore receive him, that is, my own heart, whom I wished to keep with me, that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel. But without your consent I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary.” (12-14)

Paul’s appeal is powerful because he stood beside a guilty man and said to the owner of the slave, “I know this man is a criminal and deserves punishment. Yet this slave is now of my family, so if you punish him punish me also. I stand beside him to take his punishment.” This is what Jesus does for us before our master, God the Father!

“My little children (believers, dear ones), I am writing you these things so that you will not sin and violate God’s law. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate [who will intercede for us] with the Father: Jesus Christ the righteous [the upright, the just One, who conforms to the Father’s will in every way—purpose, thought, and action]. ² And He [that same Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins [the atoning sacrifice that holds back the wrath of God that would otherwise be directed at us because of our sinful nature—our worldliness, our lifestyle]; and not for ours alone, but also for [the sins of all believers throughout] the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2)

“Here we see how Paul lays himself out for poor Onesimus, and with all his means pleads his cause with his master, and so sets himself as if he were Onesimus, and had himself done wrong to Philemon. Even as Christ did for us with God the Father, thus also does Paul for Onesimus with Philemon. We are all his Onesimi, to my thinking.” (Luther)

Now that Onesimus is in Christ he is not a slave of sin anymore, just as we were, too:

“For we too once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various sinful desires and pleasures, spending and wasting our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.” (Titus 3:3)

In Christ Onesimus is now a useful person -by the fact: Onesimus means profitable, useful- (1:11)

 “It is significant to note that Paul claims that in Christ the useless person has been made useful.” (Barclay)

When Paul said to Philemon, “charge the wrong of Onesimus to my account,” (18-19) he essentially did for Onesimus what Jesus did for us in taking our sins to His account:

“ He personally carried our sins in His body on the ^[a]cross [willingly offering Himself on it, as on an altar of sacrifice], so that we might die to sin [becoming immune from the penalty and power of sin] and live for righteousness; for by His wounds you [who believe] have been ^[b]healed.” (2 Peter 2:24)

 Paul mentioned one more thing. “Philemon, remember that I have a lot of credit on your account, because you owe me even your own self besides.” Paul could afford to pay Onesimus’ expenses because there was a sense in which Philemon owed Paul his salvation!

Onesimus was obligated to return to his master. When we wrong somebody, we must do our best to set it right. We must make an effort for reconciliation!

^“So if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and while there you remember that your brother has something [such as a grievance or legitimate complaint] against you, ²⁴ leave your offering there at the altar and go. First make peace with your brother, and then come and present your offering.” (Mat. 5:23-24)

 Being made a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) does not end our responsibility to make restitution; it increases our obligation, even when restitution is difficult.

When Paul mentioned: “Knowing that you will do even more than I say” (21), he writes with confidence and hope, knowing through Philemon’s testimony (4-7), that he was a generous man. So that is why Paul could expect that Philemon would take Onesimus back, not as his slave but as a brother in Christ! (Gal. 3:28-29)

“Philemon was Paul’s son in the faith, yet he entreated him as a brother. Onesimus was a poor slave, yet Paul besought for him as if seeking some great thing for himself. Christians should do what may give joy to the hearts of one another. From the world they expect trouble; they should find comfort and joy in one another.” M. Henry

When I try to put myself in Philemon’s place I ask myself: “Would I have accepted Onesimus back into my house liberally, with joy and in total forgiveness?

“Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave ^[a]you.” (Ephesians 4:32 AMP)

“… bearing graciously with one another, and willingly forgiving each other if one has a cause for complaint against another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so should you forgive.” (Colossians 3:13 AMP)

I pray my Heavenly Father for this to become a reality in my life!

Mari