Philemon is not a book one reads every day, although it would be easy to do, since it is so short. Anyway, I had forgotten about this statement of Paul’s in verse 6: “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.”
We so often think of obedience as selfless sacrifice, which somehow makes it sound difficult and boring at best or impossible at worst. Truth is, we generally benefit from obedience. God has our best interest in mind when he commands us to do something. Notice how even sharing our faith, which can sometimes seem like such an intimidating and risky venture, benefits us. It is through sharing our faith that we remember and deepen our understanding of the Gospel.
I sometimes wonder how people who have been Christians for decades can seem so clueless about the truth of their identity in Christ. It’s as if they never got the whole message, and, as a result, struggle to live a victorious Christian life. Maybe part of the reason is because they have rarely, if ever, shared their faith.
It turns out that sharing our faith isn’t just good for helping others come to faith, it is also good for helping us grow in faith.
Let’s make the most of any opportunity God gives us today, not just because we’re “supposed to” but because it is the best thing for us. Of course, gratitude to God for his grace and love should run deep through all of this.
Kip
