DAY 1 –
AUGUST 22
TITLE: “JESUS
PAID ALL”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE READING: Philemon 1:17-25
DAILY
SCRIPTURE READING: Philemon 1:17-19
Key Verse: “I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand.
I will pay it back-not to mention that you owe me your very self.” Philemon 1:19
What has Jesus done for you? I love to stop and think about the question
from time to time. Every time I do, I am quickly reminded that God has done
more for me than I can ever express or put in words. I owe Him so much, for He
has done so very much for me. The Psalmist said, “How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?” Psalm
116:12
As I think about what the Lord has done for me, I am reminded of
this story. “In 1835, a man visited a doctor in Florence, Italy. He was filled
with anxiety and exhausted from lack of sleep. He couldn't eat and he was
avoiding his friends. The doctor examined him and found that he was in prime
physical condition. Concluding that his patient needed to have a good time, the
physician told him about a circus in town and its star performer, a clown named
Grimaldi. Night after night, he had the people rolling in the aisles. "You
must go and see him," the doctor advised. "Grimaldi
is the world's funniest clown. He'll
make you laugh and cure your sadness."
"No," replied the despairing man, "he can't help me. You
see, I am Grimaldi!"
Someone might have everybody fooled into thinking they are happy
and that they have it together. Someone might be a person others look up to and
come to for advice. But deep down inside, they know that they have no remedy on
their own for the emptiness of heart and life. Only Jesus can fill the void in
every person’s heart. Only Jesus can truly satisfy. Every one of us needs
Jesus. Every one of us needs a Savior. We all need Jesus as our personal Savior.
If you have received Christ as your Savior, will you take a few moments to
thank Him and reflect on what Jesus has done for you? If not, would you turn
your life over to Christ and allow Him to do in you, for you, and through you
what He desires to do?
Paul is willing to bear the debt that Onesimus owed. He does not
owe Philemon or Onesimus anything, but he is willing
to pay the debt. This is what Jesus has done for us on the cross. He has paid
my debt. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your
body.” I Corinthians 6:20. In his second letter, he wrote, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he
became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
II Corinthians 8:9.
“I
hear the Savior say, ‘Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine
all in all.’
Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.” (Elvina Hall)
DAY 2 –
AUGUST 23
TITLE: “WHO
CAN YOU REFRESH IN THE LORD?”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE READING: Philemon 1:17-25
DAILY
SCRIPTURE READING: Philemon 1:20
Key Verse: “I do wish, brother, that I may have some
benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.” Philemon 1:20
During World War I, a German soldier ducked
into an out-of-the-way foxhole. There he found a wounded enemy. The fallen
soldier was soaked with blood and only minutes from his death. Touched by the
man’s plight, the German soldier offered him water.
Through this
small kindness, a bond was created. The dying man pointed to his shirt pocket,
so the German soldier took out a wallet and removed some family pictures. He
then held them up so the wounded man could look upon his loved ones one final
time. With bullets raging over them and war all around, these two enemies were,
for a moment, friends.
What happened
in that shell hole? Did all war cease to exist? Were all wrongs made right? No.
What happened was someone saw a person in need. The soldier looked beyond the
war and uniform and saw someone that needed help and reached out to him.
What about
you? Is there a wounded soldier in your path that God is calling you to care
for? Someone that needs to be helped, refreshed or
encouraged?
As I think of
this story, I am reminded of the story Jesus told of the Good Samaritan. Luke
10 records that Jesus told the story to an expert in the law who had asked what
he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked what the law said. The man
answered, “Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” The man asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply, Jesus told of a man going down
from Jerusalem to Jericho. He fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him
of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest and a Levite passed by on the other
side and did not stop to help him. However, there was one person who stopped to
help, refresh and encourage. He was the Good Samaritan. He bandaged his wounds
and cared for him.
Who are the people that you will pass by this week that
you can stop and refresh or encourage in the Lord? You and I will pass by people that could
benefit from our love and care. Ask the Lord to show you who you can refresh in
the Lord today in some way.
DAY 3 –
AUGUST 24
TITLE: “BE AN
ENCOURAGER”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE READING: Philemon 1:17-25
DAILY
SCRIPTURE READING: Philemon 1:20
Key Verse: “I do wish, brother, that I may have some
benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.” Philemon 1:20
Before
we move on to some other verses this week, I wanted to look one more time at
verse 20. This verse calls us to refresh and encourage others in the Lord. As I
read this verse, Hebrews 10:24-25 comes to mind. It says, “And let us consider how we may spur one
another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as
some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the
more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25.
Mary
Hollingsworth tells this story about encouragement. “The house on Caddo Street
in Greenville, Texas, where I grew up, was only one long block from the railroad
track. Every night, I went to sleep to the familiar sound of the 10:05 chugging
past. And, every morning, I awoke to the
6:30 express and its long, steady blast, as it sped along.
The
street that ran beside our house came to a dead end at the railroad. And, at
the end of that block, next to the railroad, was a house that sat up on a small
hill. As kids, we loved to ride our
bikes flying down that street toward the railroad and then up the steep
driveway and back up the street where we would turn around and do it all again.
And again. We must have done it a thousand times over
the years.
Charlie
Johnson, the old man who lived in the house next to the railroad, was also the
engineer on the train that came through our neighborhood every day at four
o’clock. To us, he was Uncle Charlie. So, every day, after school, at four
o’clock, we all raced our bikes down the street and up the hill, into Charlie’s
yard.
When
the train was about two blocks away, Uncle Charlie blew the train whistle two
short and one long blast, which was his signal to his wife, who we called Aunt
Martha. When she heard the signal, Aunt
Martha came out into the yard with us to wave at Uncle Charlie and throw him a kiss as he went by.
Uncle
Charlie was special to us for another reason. Everyday, he threw candy out the
train window to the kids in his own yard. Sometimes there were little prizes
among the pieces of candy. He always blew the whistle and laughed as we
scrambled for the treats. And, we all cheered and waved at him. We called it
the Candy Train. You can imagine why it’s one of my favorite childhood
memories. It was like seeing Santa Claus at the end of the parade every day of
the year."
I
pray we will use every opportunity we have to throw out encouragement and
refreshment in the Lord to others as we travel on our life’s journey with Him.
Your encouragement in the Lord will make a difference. Be an encourager.
DAY 4 –
AUGUST 25
TITLE:
“OBEDIENCE”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE READING: Philemon 1:17-25
DAILY
SCRIPTURE READING: Philemon 1:21
Key Verse: “Confident of your obedience, I write to
you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.” Philemon 1:21
We have a
little dog whose name is Kelly. Several years ago now, we had been praying
about and considering getting a dog. While Sharon was at the Animal Shelter,
she was told about a little dog that had been neglected. We adopted Kelly and he
came to live at the Grinder house. Sharon and Amanda have gone to obedience
training with Kelly and worked with him some through the years. Still, I would
rate his obedience on the lower end of the scale. He loves to play and loves to
be loved. However, I would say that obedience is not his strength.
Is obedience a strength for you? Paul was did not give Philemon any
specific command, but he did express his confidence that Philemon would be
obedient. Paul uses a strong word
signifying man’s obedience to God or to His will. Paul used the word in his
letter to the Romans when he wrote, “Don’t
you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you
are slaves to the one whom you obey-whether you are slaves to sin, which leads
to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” Romans 6:16. This
word is also used to describe Christ’s obedience in Hebrews. It says of Jesus, “Although he was a son, he learned obedience
from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal
salvation for all who obey him.” Hebrews 5:8-9. It is also the word used of
Paul when giving instruction to bring every thought captive. He wrote, “We demolish arguments and every pretension
that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every
thought to make it obedient to Christ.” II Corinthians 10:5.
Paul was
convinced that Philemon would not refuse his request to welcome Onesimus with open arms. He was sure he would receive him
no longer as a slave but as a dear brother in the Lord. Paul had confidence
that Philemon would be obedient to the will of God because of his faith and
love.
Paul was sure
that his obedience would be more than the minimum amount. Paul was not talking
about obeying enough to just get by. Paul was talking about a total obedience
to God that would be expressed in his love and actions. With this type of
obedience, Paul was sure Philemon would do even more than Paul was asking of him.
Pastor and author, William Ward said, “Every great person
has first learned how to obey, whom to obey, and when to obey.” Will you be
obedient to God today in your relationships with others and in all that you do
and say?
DAY 5 –
AUGUST 26
TITLE: “IN
ANSWER TO YOUR PRAYERS”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE READING: Philemon 1:17-25
DAILY
SCRIPTURE READING: Philemon 1:22-25
Key Verse: “And one thing more: Prepare a guest room
for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.” Philemon
1:22
I love the
story in Acts 12 where Peter had been seized and put into prison. He was
guarded there by four squads of four soldiers each. The part of the story I
really love is recorded in verse 5. It says, “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to
God for him.” Their prayers made a difference. Later in the story, an angel
frees Peter from prison. He then goes to the place where the church was praying
for him. He stood before them as living proof that they had been praying to a
God who answers prayer. The Psalmist said, “He
will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will
deliver him and honor him.” Psalm 91:15.
In his
closing words, he expressed his hope to come in person and visit Philemon. He
said this would be in answer to their prayers. Paul tactfully takes it for
granted that Philemon and those of his household are remembering him and his
imprisonment constantly in prayer. Your prayers for others make a difference.
Will you make praying for others a priority?
“Sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father's throne.
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief, My soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempter's snare, By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of
prayer! The joys I feel, the bliss I share
Of those whose
anxious spirits burn, With strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place, Where
God my Savior shows his face,
And gladly take my station there, And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of
prayer! Thy wings shall my petition bear
To him whose truth and faithfulness,
Engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since he bids me seek his face, Believe his word, and trust his grace,
I'll cast on him my every care, And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of
prayer! May I thy consolation share,
Till from Mount Pisgah's lofty height,
I view my home and take my flight,
This robe of flesh I'll drop, and
rise, To seize the everlasting prize,
And shout, while passing thru the air,
‘Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!’" (Attributed to William Walford)