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THE COMMUNICATION OF YOUR FAITH

The letter of Paul the Apostle to Philemon is one of the two shortest books in the New Testament.   At just 25 verses, it ties with Jude as the least lengthy.   What it lacks in length, however, it more than makes up for in content.   The letter reveals the story of Onesimus, a runaway servant who had served Philemon, but had grown unhappy with his servitude and had left his master without having been released by him.   Many of the particulars of the story are unknown to us, such as, exactly why Onesimus left, did he steal any of his master’s goods to help him on his journey when he left, and was he the only servant in Philemon's household?   The things that we do know and can reasonably deduce from the information that we have, however, is enough to give us an inspiring story of repentance, faith, obedience, and restitution.   At the time that Paul wrote this letter, between 60-63 A.D, he was in prison for the first time in Rome.   Paul hoped...
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BECOMING LIKE CHILDREN

My wife and I recently attended a surprise 80th birthday party for my wife's aunt.  There were lots of cousins, great cousins, and even 3rd generation cousins present at the party, some of whom had come a good distance to attend; so, it was great to see everybody and catch up on news of their families.  My wife later commented about how one little baby who was just months old was able to pick out her mother's voice even above 40 or more other voices all talking at the same time.  Her little ears would prick up, and her head would turn toward the direction of her momma's voice.   As my wife described what she observed that day, I had to think of the relationship with our heavenly Father and how similar it is to that little one and her momma.  There are many voices around us always, some of them are good, and some of them are not so good, but in the midst of so many voices our Father's rings out true and distinct from all others. ...
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NEW COATS

"But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof" (Romans 13:14).   Scripture compares the putting off our old, carnal nature, and putting on our new nature in Christ with changing clothes.   The picture I have in my mind is like when I would come home from work and take off the dirty, smelly clothes that I had worked in all day, bathe, and put on clean, fresh clothes that were free of spots, odors, or wrinkles.   The simplicity of this picture is arresting.   God does not suggest that we try to clean, patch up, or press the old garments - He tells us to put them off altogether and discard them because He has a brand-new garment for us.   God says that "...we are all as an unclean thing , and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6).   There is nothing salvageable about our old nature: it is corrupt according to the deceitful lust that rules it.   The Apostle Paul was convin...
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