Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever—no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord (Philemon 1: 15-16).
We praise You, God our Father—God and Father of our Lord Jesus whom You have exalted far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. You have placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way (Ephesians 1: 21-22).
Lord, You instruct us how to live as a body of believers, under the headship and authority of Jesus. You show us how distinctions and demarcations, boundaries and divisions are torn down in Christ (Galatians 3:28).
Thank You for the very practical application of becoming "one in Christ Jesus"—the practical application shown to us in a letter from the apostle Paul to Philemon, a wealthy individual in Colossae, who had become a believer in Jesus. The letter concerns Onesimus, a runaway slave, who had also become, through Paul's ministry in Rome, a believer in Jesus.
Through this letter, Lord, You teach us lessons from the lives of believers learning to live out their faith within the specific context of their world. And You teach us Your unchanging principles for our own life and times.
In the letter, we see Paul introducing a new mindset to the wealthy convert, one unlike any in the Roman world of mastery and iron-fisted rule. We see the apostle urging Philemon to forgive the runaway slave, welcoming him back, not as a slave, but both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord (Philemon 1: 16).
Like Philemon, we too, come to faith with the values of our society in us and all around us. For Philemon, it was the evils of slavery in the ancient Roman world; for us, it is other evils.
It is only when we come face to face with Your holiness and Your purity that we recognize, like the prophet Isaiah, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5, NKJV).
Oh Lord, we know that the live fire from the altar of our Savior's sacrifice purges our sin and makes us clean, giving us entry into Your holy presence. But we know this is only the beginning of a lifelong process of sanctification, where You instruct us by Your word, and by the guidance of Your Holy Spirit. Waken [our] ears to listen like one being taught (Isaiah 50:4).
We surrender to you the areas of our lives you desire to refine and sanctify. We surrender to you our redefined or changing relationships. We surrender to You our strained and difficult interactions. Teach us new mindsets of forgiveness and love.
Help us to live out the instruction given by the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul, Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers (Galatians 6:10).
And likewise through the apostle Peter, Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor (1 Peter 2:17). Help us, as you purify us and work in us, to see all people through new lenses of eternal vision.
Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is love and His Gospel is peace. Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother, And in His Name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, Let all within us praise His holy Name! Christ is the Lord! Oh, praise His name forever! His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim! His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
~ Placide Cappeau ~ 1847
~ Translated by John S. Dwight
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