But without your consent I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary. For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave—a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
(Philemon vv. 14-15, NKJV)
Yesterday, we learned how Paul exhorted Philemon to receive Onesimus as Paul’s own son, as Philemon’s own brother. Today’s verses make it even clearer. Philemon was to receive him forever as a beloved brother.
We are all equal in God’s eyes. Each and every one of us. It doesn’t matter where we come from, what our family tree looks like, how much money we have. It doesn’t matter what language we speak, if we went to college, where we work. When we submit our lives to Jesus Christ, accept the gift of salvation through His death and resurrection, and strive to live Christ-like lives, God looks at us with delight and love. We are His dearly-loved sons and daughters.
Do you know that? Do you really believe it? As I wrote in a previous blog, two of my life verses are Philippians 3:13b-14. We can forget about our past, what we’ve done, what we have—or don’t have—and look forward to a future with God’s loving hand leading us.
Because we’re His sons and daughters. And so, we’re also brothers and sisters. Let’s receive each other with love, just as Paul exhorted Philemon.
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