Only 25 verses long the book of Philemon is all about love and forgiveness. They go hand in hand. OUTLINE OF PHILEMON 1-25 Paul writes to his friend Philemon on behalf of Oneismus (1-3) In these short verses we see the following nuggets of truth. I. Spiritual character of One who forgives (4-7)II. Spiritual Action of One who forgives (8-18)III. Spiritual Motivation of One who forgives (19-25) Forgiveness is best understood through what James wrote – “judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy (James 2:13 Proverbs 19:11 says, “A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression.” Love is only understood within the context of God’s unconditional love for humanity and how He showed that love by the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. God offers us GRACE….His unmerited favor and with outstretched arms welcomes us as His child. When we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we are adopted as God’s sons and daughters. Page 1 In Romans 8:15 we read “You did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father”. In Galatians 4:6, “Because you are sons/daughters, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out “Abba, Father.” ABBA, FATHER – referring to God is a cry of the heart for intimate belonging. ABBA, DADDY In our relationship with Jesus we are to show one another AGAPE LOVE, *It is spiritual, *It is selfless love. *It is unconditional. *It is not feeling based or self centered. *It focuses on what will benefit the person that is loved. *Agape says, I love you unconditionally, no matter who you are, no matter what you do.” It works in difficult situations and difficulties. *It loves even when it receives nothing in return.
*It is the way God loves us. He poured out His love for us even while we rejected it. He sent His Son to give His life for us even while we claimed we did not need a Savior.
What do you think of when you read this?
I love this post, Kathy.
I was raised to believe in God and therefore have 100% faith in Him.
I have great respect for the Bible and the lessons it teaches, but was not raised with it nor did I go to Church so I am one of those people stuck in between, not sure what’s true and what’s a story… Believing wholeheartedly in God and trying to make it fit with Science and nature.
When I read the post I think of my own bitterness and grudges I’ve collected over the last 5 years. And my mind is opened to the fact that maybe those I am so upset with feel the same way I do.
I hope to see more posts like this. I feel like you wrote it to me:-)