Philemon 1-3
A favorite comic strip of many comes from the creative mind of Bill Watterson and his realistic yet devious characters of Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin is just a young boy with a wild imagination and his stuffed tiger named Hobbes. These two have a way of getting into all kinds of trouble. In Bill Watterson’s book, The Revenge of the Baby-Sat, he tells the story of Calvin and Hobbes backing the car out of the driveway and getting it stuck in the ditch across the street (p 75-80). In complete fear of their punishment they rush home, gather food and supplies then run away. In reality they end up in a tree behind the house and that is where Calvin’s Mom finds them. She reassures Calvin that the car will be fine and that he can come home. Still not completely convinced Calvin simply states that he wants to hear his Mom say that she loves him. The short book of Philemon contains a reminder to Philemon of how God has saved him and changed him so he could show grace and display redemption to Onesimus, a slave who ran away with his money. Paul is asking Philemon to accept Onesimus back and fully restore him because he is now a believer in Christ and therefore a spiritual brother. In the first two verses of this letter Paul addresses not only Philemon but also his wife, church leadership and the church as a whole. Paul wants to make sure that everyone understands that grace is needed and work to bring peace between these two men. Have you ever felt like your actions were unforgivable like Calvin or Onesimus? This letter makes it clear that God will continually remind us of His love and grace. The best part is that we get to pass it on to others as well, just like Philemon.
For more see PHILEMON
A favorite comic strip of many comes from the creative mind of Bill Watterson and his realistic yet devious characters of Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin is just a young boy with a wild imagination and his stuffed tiger named Hobbes. These two have a way of getting into all kinds of trouble. In Bill Watterson’s book, The Revenge of the Baby-Sat, he tells the story of Calvin and Hobbes backing the car out of the driveway and getting it stuck in the ditch across the street (p 75-80). In complete fear of their punishment they rush home, gather food and supplies then run away. In reality they end up in a tree behind the house and that is where Calvin’s Mom finds them. She reassures Calvin that the car will be fine and that he can come home. Still not completely convinced Calvin simply states that he wants to hear his Mom say that she loves him. The short book of Philemon contains a reminder to Philemon of how God has saved him and changed him so he could show grace and display redemption to Onesimus, a slave who ran away with his money. Paul is asking Philemon to accept Onesimus back and fully restore him because he is now a believer in Christ and therefore a spiritual brother. In the first two verses of this letter Paul addresses not only Philemon but also his wife, church leadership and the church as a whole. Paul wants to make sure that everyone understands that grace is needed and work to bring peace between these two men. Have you ever felt like your actions were unforgivable like Calvin or Onesimus? This letter makes it clear that God will continually remind us of His love and grace. The best part is that we get to pass it on to others as well, just like Philemon.
For more see PHILEMON
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