Most of the time we like to challenge ourselves in competitive competition, we all some how have a competitive side.

Today we take a story from the Book of Philemon, to look a type of challenge we all will face on our life journey. Offering forgiveness and accepting the person who has done us wrong back into our love and our trust.

Philemon was a rich slave owner who lived in Colosse. Philemon was a convert of Paul, who Paul called his, beloved friend and fellow laborer.

At this point in history they also had slaves, yes slaves! there are some not so nice practices in today’s society too. One in today’s society allow themselves to become slave to all sorts of things, like, illicit drug, binge drinking, sexual exploits, and unless we have accepted Christ Jesus as Our Lord and Our Savour, we will remain slaves to sin.

Back to the story, Paul wrote to Philemon with much brotherly love asking him to take back his slave, Onesimus, who had probably robbed hin and run away. Reasonable request, but it required great forgiveness.

the whole basis of the Christian doctrine is presented here:

The core of our doctrine is forgiveness. Just as Our Lord and Our Friend took our sins upon Himself and forgave us all our offenses, so Paul asked Philemon to forgive the crimes that Onesimus had done against him. Previously, Omesimus was a worthless slave to him, but now Onesimus was a brother in Christ, Paul was motivated by his love for both Onesimus and Phiilemon in asking that the slave be taken back, not just a s slave, but as a brother. Paul pledged to pay the debt of Onesimus.

In this we have a picture of Onesimus as a sinner who has run away from God The Father. Paul is a picture of the intercessory work of Jesus Christ before The Father, pleading for the slave to be forgiven and accepted back by The Father. Philemon is a picture of The Father, The One who owns us, against whom we have sinned.

Through repentance and acceptance, in the work Christ Jesus did on the cross, for all of us, we now too have been accepted back to The Father, not as slaves of which we were, but as a Child of God, joint heir with Christ Jesus.

People hate slavery but really it is all around, true freedom comes from accepting Christ Jesus.

God Bless

O F J.