PHILEMON VERSES 3-5
PHILEMON’S FAITH AND LOVE
Philemon 3-5 (BSB) Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I always thank my God, remembering you in my prayers, because I hear about your faithG4102 in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.
G4102 pistis – persuasion, i.e. credence; mor. conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), espec. reliance upon Christ for salvation: abstr. constancy in such profession; by extens. the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself: – assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
Philemon was characterized by faith
and love for all believers.
It seems he was one of those people
who was a giver more than a receiver.
Paul let him know he was thankful
For the good reports he’d heard,
and I’m sure Philemon was strengthened
by Paul’s encouraging word.
After greeting Philemon and others with him, Paul let him know that he prayed for him and thanked God that he had a reputation for faith in the Lord and love for the saints. What an encouragement that must have been to Philemon!
Are we people that cause others to thank God as they pray for us? Are we known for our faith and love? We hope so. It is something to meditate on, to think of how other people might remember us as they pray. We may realize some things in our lives might need to change. We may need to rely more on the Lord and be more demonstrative in our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Another thought came to mind as we read this. How often do we encourage other believers by letting them know how God has used them in our lives or how we have observed God using them to bless others? Do we commend our “framily” when they demonstrate faith in Christ? Do we pray for God to strengthen them and us in these areas?
There are many people in our lives that we should send a card or letter to encourage them as they have encouraged us. Perhaps we should take some time this weekend to follow through on that idea. Do you need to do the same? Ask the Lord to bring those people to mind that you need to pray for, thank the Lord for, and encourage by sending a card or email or maybe calling them on the phone.
Father, seeing others rely upon you strengthens our own faith. Thank you for the positive examples of faith and love you have given us through many believers over the years. Help us to take the time to write some notes this weekend. Help us also to be an example of faithfulness and love to others.