4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. 7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.
We've already talked about the need to be thankful and appreciative of those through whom God brings us refreshing. Here Paul is refreshed by seeing others refreshed- he has been the recipient of joy and comfort because Philemon is doing what Paul cannot do while in prison. Philemon had a reputation for his great faith in and love for Christ and fellow believers. I love the way Paul puts it in verse 5: because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints. Philemon had love, and he also had faith toward Christ and for the saints. It's like faith in Christ and love for fellow believers is so wrapped up together you cannot separate them into two strands. And that's the way it should be, right? Philemon had a refreshing way of including his faith in relationships. That's my prayer for us today.
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