When I was in junior high and high school we would buy yearbooks and have as many people as we knew sign them. Most people wrote something nice. Many wrote silly things. A few wrote some honest encouragement. One of the most common expressions written was “Stay the way you are.”
Overall the messages offered a feeling of warmth and happiness years after graduation. But with some I am aware that the message of encouragement was not really sincere, even if they meant well. How could they suggest I stay the way I was when they barely knew me?
By contrast we have a letter from Paul and Timothy to a friend. While most of the letter addresses Paul’s advice on how to receive an escaped slave, this passage addresses Philemon and talks about who he is.
What is Paul thankful for? What does Paul want Philemon to do? What will be Philemon’s benefit? What final compliment and encouragement does Paul offer?
Paul is writing, not to a stranger, but to someone he obviously knows well. In some ways Paul might be suggesting that Philemon stay the way he is. What Philemon has been doing is good.
Philemon has obviously been serving fellow Christians in some way, perhaps through teaching and encouragement, because he has “refreshed the hearts of the saints.” Could it be that Philemon has simply been a living example of what a Christian is? Paul wants him to be active in sharing. By so doing he will receive a deeper understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
These words can serve as a guide to each of us. If we are not living our faith, we ought to. We ought to, as Paul suggests, “be active in sharing your faith.” And if we are already living our faith, then we should continue. Stay the way you are, because in so doing you are refreshing the hearts of the saints.
DAILY CHALLENGE: Is there a saint who needs his or her heart refreshed? What can you do to refresh their heart?
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