Daily Devo - Thursday, May 8, 2008

“…because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.”
Philemon 7 (ESV)

Though we translate the word ‘heart’, in the original it actually says ‘bowels’.¹ Certainly not attractive imagery by today’s standards, but in the New Testament world the bowels were symbolically considered the seat of emotions. Paul is in effect saying that the saints felt loved and refreshed down to their very core. Philemon was most likely fairly wealthy and seems to have served as the pastor/elder of the congregation that met in his home. As such, certainly Paul has in mind Philemon’s care for the physical needs of the poorer members of his congregation. Central to being true church is the honor we have to take care of the needs of the poor, especially the Christian poor. In 2 Corinthians 9:12 the apostle makes mention of the fact that the Corinthian ministry was indeed “supplying the needs of the saints”. One is reminded of the story of the great Duke who lived centuries ago. Several noblemen asked the eminent Duke whether he kept hounds—at the time a mark of wealth and privilege. ‘Yes’, he said, ‘come tomorrow to see them’. When the nobleman had assembled, the Duke led them into his great hall. Pushing the doors open, all saw a great multitude of poor folks dinning with the Duke’s servants and family. Turning to the noblemen, he said, ‘One poor Lazarus is worth more than ten thousand dogs, and see how many have I”. Philemon recognized that true riches were found only in one’s service to God.

Yet Paul is probably referring to something larger than simply taking care of the poor. Love is to be a way of life for Christians, so that it influences every sphere. As pastor, Philemon refreshed the hearts of the saints through his preaching of the Word. He refreshed them through his kindness. They were refreshed through his willingness to forgive, and to make amends when he had committed a wrong. It is interesting to note that the Greek word for ‘refreshed’ has a military origin, signifying the rest that an army takes while on the march. In our service to Christ we quickly tire from Satan’s constant attacks and temptations, as well as from the opposition we receive from an unbelieving world. The believers also suffered physical ailments and diseases, all of which brought about anxiety and weariness. The early church figure Origen quotes from this verse (in his commentary on Matthew’s gospel) to illustrate how Christians who visit the sick can have a good influence on the body of Christ. Regardless of the cause of the weariness, Philemon’s gentleness and love provided a greater sense of refreshment than any tonic or vacation could ever offer.

Christ is calling his Church to exhibit sacrificial love toward one another. Too often Christians set aside this divinely given ministry and become entombed in their own earthly cares and pursuits. This is nothing new; even in Paul’s day—right ‘out of the gate’, so to speak—Christians struggled putting sacrificial love into practice. We have a natural tendency to focus on programs instead of people, offer superficial smiles instead of enduring joy, take offense instead of giving forgiveness, and exhibiting pride instead of grace. Christ is calling us to embrace a lifestyle of love and grace; and as we do we become agents of refreshing and encouragement to all around us.

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1}splanchna literally means “entrails, bowels, inwards”. In the New Testament world it signified the “total person at the deepest level”.