An Extra Effort
“Having confidence in thy obedience I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say.” Philemon 21
Philemon was a wealthy believer in the city of Colosse, located in what is now the country of Turkey. He had a slave named Onesimus who had run away to Rome and met Paul who led him to Christ. Paul convinced him to return to Philemon and sent a letter along with him to urge Philemon to accept him back as a brother in Christ. When someone becomes a Christian, there are certain actions, thoughts, and words which must be abandoned in order to be a good representative of Jesus Christ. A couple who are not married and living together must separate immediately and then plan a wedding. One who is cheating on his income taxes must report all income, even that which is paid in cash (under the table). A business owner needs to stop using his business income for personal expenses. (Just about everyone that I have ever been employed by cheated the government on their taxes.) An employee who is taking office supplies home from the job must stop. One who uses vulgarity must work on their language. There are some things that must change immediately upon becoming a Christian, but there are other things that are changed over time.
It was the right thing to do for Onesimus to return to his master even though he likely didn’t want to. As a slave, he belonged to Philemon. We don’t condone slavery in our day, but it was common for wealthy people to own slaves in ancient times. When a man or woman could not support themselves, they could sell themselves to a wealthy landowner who gave them a place to live and food to eat in exchange for their labor. They were to be treated like a servant with dignity and kindness. He or she would be freed at the end of six years (Leviticus 25:39). We don’t know how much more of the six years that Onesimus had left to serve.
In an effort to smooth things over with Philemon, Paul agreed to refund or make up to Philemon for any wrongs that Onesimus had done to him. That was very generous and brave on Paul’s part. In an effort to convince Philemon to forgive Onesimus, he reminded Philemon that because of Paul’s witness and gospel message, Philemon could count himself as one forgiven by Christ. Paul had enough confidence and trust in Philemon to believe that he would positively respond to Paul’s request and take it even further, possibly by placing Onesimus in a higher position or free him entirely.
This hope of Paul made me think about elementary and high school. Many of us may have not consistently applied ourselves in school and did just enough to get by. I wish that I had paid more attention in school. They say that hindsight is 20/20, and that is very true. I didn’t make bad grades, but I didn’t make the honor roll either. Sometimes in our spiritual life we tend to not always give our best, but Jesus said in Matthew 5:41 that whoever asks you to go a mile with him, go two miles. Do more than what is required. Give 110 per cent. Be generous with your resources when giving to Christian charities and your local church. Don’t be satisfied with the finished product until you know that you gave it your all. Don’t let the naysayers discourage you. Don’t let failure get you down because defeat is not an option. And most of all, know Who it is that you are serving. Let your motto be, “How can I help you?” This is what a person who wants to be like Christ does.