SATURDAY January 25, 2025
A Letter of Restoration
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved friend and fellow laborer....
Philemon 1
The book of Philemon is very short, only 25 verses, but this is a very powerful letter. The Apostle Paul wrote this last Epistle, which completes what we refer to as the Prison Epistles––Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. Every one of them was written when Paul was under house arrest in Rome.
Philemon was from Colossae. He was a very prestigious and wealthy man. He owned a servant by the name of Onesimus. This young servant stole from his master and ran away to Rome. Perhaps he thought he could just get lost among the multitudes of people and not get caught. Just one person swallowed up among the masses of people in the city, he was sure to be safe.
However, as God would have it, Onesimus met Paul and Paul led him to Christ. Imagine, God allowed these circumstances in his life so that he might hear the Gospel. In an unexpected turn of events, Onesimus was saved. Paul decided to write to his beloved friend Philemon on behalf of his new convert. He sought to make things right between them.
For a number of reasons, there are people who choose to run away and hide among the multitudes of earth’s humanity. Their loved ones search for them, but they are hard to find. Parents of runaways become sick with worry. They want to know their children are safe, and they want them to come home. Listen, in these seemingly hopeless situations, God knows their exact whereabouts. He can help make things right and bring about restoration and reconciliation in people’s lives.
This is such a beautiful story of God’s love, forgiveness and restoration. May this heartfelt letter touch your heart personally.
Loving a holy God is beyond our moral power ... Unless we are born of the Spirit of God, unless God sheds His holy love in our hearts ... He is the one who takes the initiative to restore our souls.
~R.C. Sproul~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
