A Personal Note

Scripture – Philemon 1-7: ¹Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker, ²to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home: ³Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, ⁵because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. ⁶I 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. ⁷Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

Observation – (Write down what you see in the scripture.) This is a very personal letter written by Paul to his friend., Philemon. Philemon appears to be a leader (pastor?) of a church that meets in his house. Paul has heard talk of his faith, love and “active sharing” of the gospel. Paul experienced personal joy and encouragement from who Philemon is.

Application – (Write how you will be different today because of what you have just read.) I have had the privilege of seeing people grow and mature in their faith and ministry – in part because I’ve had a hand in their lives. That really is a source of great joy and satisfaction and an encouragement to me. I will send a couple notes to people this week. I’ll pick out two and let them know how they have encouraged me.

Prayer – (Write out a brief prayer.) Lord, thank you for the joy and privilege of sharing in the growth of others. Thank your for trusting me with this ministry. Continue to empower me as an encourager today.