January 31

Refresh My Heart in Christ

"Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints....refresh my heart in Christ." Philemon 7, 20

We all need refreshing. Life wears us out. When we come together on Sundays or during the week, we need refreshing. Usually we think about refreshing in the sense of being renewed by His Word and indeed that does refresh and renew us, but have you ever stopped to look at this scripture and realize that we can refresh each other by ministering to the saints? Paul wrote this book to Philemon, his brother and owner of a runaway slave, Onesimus. The Lord took Onesimus, a runaway slave and made him a slave for Christ, that he might taste true freedom. Paul was asking Philemon to receive back Onesimus, not as a runaway slave, but as a brother in Christ; and in this way he would refresh Paul's heart. It is a beautiful story of grace. Grace should be the very quality that shines through all our actions as Christians. When we witness our brother showing grace to others, we are refreshed, for it reminds us that we, too, like Onesimus, were in bondage, but we have tasted grace and we are free! The next time you are with your brothers and sisters in Christ, take a moment to sit back and quietly watch. We will receive refreshing when we watch how our brethren minister to those around them. It will refresh our hearts in the same way that Paul was refreshed when he witnessed the love of God encouraging his brethren!