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Daily Devotion: Philemon 1:15-18

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Philemon 1:15-18    "For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;  (16)  Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?  (17)  If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.  (18)  If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account"

I repeat verses 15 and 16 in order to have the thought flow smoothly into verses 17 and 18. To refresh our direction of thought, Paul is encouraging Philemon to receive Onesimus back to himself. He wants him to receive the former slave not as a servant; rather he is encouraged to receive him as a brother. That was unheard of in that day and required much grace on the part of Philemon.

When I read verses 17 and 18, I see a beautiful picture of my Lord. "If you count me as a partner, receive him as myself." If I understand the relationship that we have with our precious Lord and Saviour, God sees His Son in us when He looks upon us. God has received us into His family as His adopted children because of and through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. He loves us with a love that is equal to that which He loves His only begotten Son. This amazes me to think of the depth of love God has for me, unworthy as I am.  I look to the word of Jesus to verify this:  "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:  (23)  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." (John 17:22-23)

Again, I see my precious Lord as I read these words: "If he owes you anything, put it on my account." We read in Hebrews 10:12, "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God"  We cannot take this to mean that we are given free license to live like the world; for God has said He chastises those whom He loves. If we walk away from God, there is correction that will be administered. But even that is an expression of the very love of God that has freely been bestowed upon us. The one sacrifice that was made by Jesus Christ is sufficient to cover the debt for all our sins. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.

I hope we have found rest, hope, and encouragement as we have read this little book of Philemon.  The rest of the book is instruction for Philemon concerning the fact that Paul, and we can assume Onesimus, are on their way to see him.  I encourage a repeat of reading this book as you can see the work of our Lord concerning each of His children in the manner in which Paul interceded on behalf of Onesimus, the FORMER slave.

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