HAVING CONFIDENCE IN OTHERS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

Philemon 20-21

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever had the experience of someone showing confidence in you?

I sure hope so because it has to be counted among some of the best feelings a person can have in life.

In my own life, I first experienced this through my parents as I faced different challenges growing up. If I had an important exam coming up, they would always provide positive reinforcement, sharing that they knew I would do well. And when I went through many iterations of competing for positions in the band (I was a trumpet player and pretty good at it), I could always count on them telling me I was a talented player and they knew I would be successful. This encouragement buoyed me up to where I was able to not only excel in my own high school band but earn selection to the all district one, a major accomplishment given the many schools and the number of trumpet players overall.

Once I joined the military, once again, my parents were my number one cheerleaders, always proud of what I was achieving and supportive of my career and the many advancement points I went through. Of course, with success also comes failure but my parents, as well as my wife who shared my final 20 years of service with me, would never let me stay down and be hard on myself. There was a constant urging to believe in myself and continue to aspire for the best I could be. I couldn’t have accomplished what I did without them and I pray you have your own testimonies about similar experiences in your own life.

So why do I get into all this today?

Because as we see in Paul’s letter to Philemon, the Apostle shares his confidence that his “dear friend and fellow worker” for the cause of the Gospel (v. 1) will respond to the return of his runaway slave, Onesimus, in a way that would be Christ-like, a response grounded in love, reconciliation, mercy, and ultimately, forgiveness. Look again at his words here:

I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask. Philemon 20-21

As Paul prepared to send Onesimus back to Colossae, not so much as a slave to Philemon but to Jesus Christ, he does so without any hint of pessimism. He doesn’t say something like, “I am sending him back to you but I have my doubts that you will choose the ways of Christ over the ways of the world” or anything negative like that. Rather, Paul proclaims his confidence in Philemon’s obedience, feeling that his dear Colossian brother in Christ will do even more than he is asked to do, therefore refreshing Paul’s heart that was grounded in Jesus.

Now, we don’t know what happened when Onesimus reached Colossae and returned to Philemon but given this letter’s content and the truth that Philemon was a devout Christian who also hosted church services in his home, it would be utterly sinful if he betrayed Paul’s confidence and failed to extend the same level of grace and pardon that Jesus had provided to save him.

There are many questions I am saving up for Heaven when all things are made fully known to me and anyone else who has believed in Jesus and gained the assurance of eternal life. What happened to Onesimus will be one of them but until that time, I, and I pray you as well, will look for opportunities where we can support and encourage others, ever seeking to edify and build up our brothers and sisters in Christ by showing confidence in them.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.