On second thought maybe it is good that it puffs up my plumage a bit, for that means Someone is working on the inside of me to make me more like Him.
There are two little parts that got under me. The first one was:
"In line with all this I have a favor to ask of you. As Christ's ambassador and now a prisoner for him, I wouldn't hesitate to command this if I thought it necessary, but I'd rather make it a personal request." Philemon 8-9 The Message
Just seemed kinda bossy to me, at first. Like ole Paul was flexing his spiritual muscles, his authority. Then I thought about my own kids. How I have the authority to tell them what to do, to be bossy if you like, but how it delights me much more when they do what they are supposed to WITHOUT me telling them. Warms my heart, relationship spared, love abounding. So if this is true for my kids, I am pretty sure it is true for God and us. We have free will. We have God's ordinances for our lives, the rights and wrongs of how we are to believe and behave. Now God has all authority to tell us what to do and expect us to do it, but oh how He delights when we choose to do it because we love Him, not because we are forced to.
The second part that put a bur under my saddle was-
"So if you still consider me a comrade-in-arms, welcome him back as you would me. If he damaged anything or owes you anything, chalk it up to my account. This is my personal signature—Paul—and I stand behind it. (I don't need to remind you, do I, that you owe your very life to me?) Do me this big favor, friend. You'll be doing it for Christ, but it will also do my heart good. " Philemon 17-20 The Message
Can I honestly say it made me think of the mob. At least what I know about them based on the Lifetime movies (never watched the Godfather series). Sure I'll do this for you, but don't forget you owe me as well my friend, and should I desire to collect you will be sleeping with the fishes in cement boots. (Again this is based on my knowledge of the mob based on the riveting movies of LMN...if you are actually in the mob, I apologize if this is not how you do business. Please don't hunt me down.) As I have mediated on this passage (meaning I have thought about it and talked about it and thought about it over and over) I realize that this is exactly the case with Christ. God tells us in Deuteronomy 32:35 that vengeance is His. We have no need to hold anything against anyone. Christ will reward us and Christ will deal with them, and should we get high and mighty that we have the right to be begrudging them anything, we would be smart to remember that we are forgiven as well. For we had an account of wrongs we had committed that He had wiped clean as well. We owe Him our very life.
I think what upset me about it was the frankness of it. There were no soft words to cushion the very truth of the Lord. No pretty dressings, no soft pillow of fluff to build you up and gently correct you. Just the plain truth.
I would rather you do it out of love.
You have no right to hold anything against anyone.
Plain and simple. Shot like an arrow straight into my attitude and heart. For I have said I had forgiven, but had I really? I had said I had let it go and moved on, but was I dragging it behind me? Apparently so or I would not have been bothered by it so.
Praise God that He continues to work it out in me and in you. That He would use 25 little verses in an obscure book to reveal to me the hidden depths of my heart.
The exciting part is I can not wait to see what else is in store. About to jump into Hebrews. I feel an overload coming on! I am looking oh so forward to it!
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 "Now may the God of all peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it." NKJV
3 comments:
ok - here goes the second try - i hope the internet does not eat it again :)
this is a great post and it is so awesome how God 'wrestles' with us while He works His word out in us and in our understanding - so intimate!
I think the two points you made are interconnected - we have no right to hold anything against anyone because of what Christ did for us and He desires us to forgive without being commanded to - He wants us to want to
Don't we need the frankness of the Gospel sometimes. At times in our lives we need a slap in the face to correct or discipline us.
After reading Philemon in several versions, here are my thoughts: This book provides of model of how the gospel of Christ can restore broken relationships. When someone offends us we naturally build a wall. And if we don't deal with the problem and seek reconciliation we might end up making an enemy instead of restoring a once close relationship. Paul is very interested in restoring Philemon's and Onesimus's relationship because he has witnessed Onesimus' life take a 380 degree turn. How willing we able to be when someone offends us and take the first step to reconcile that relationship? "What me take the first step? But I didn't do anything to offend that person? As a matter of fact, they stole from me or they said some horrible things about me?" Yes, its sometimes tough to humble ourselves and take the first step to reconciliation. --Vivian
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