to do the right thing... even when it's a really hard thing to do...
I'm almost there. I have been reading the Bible, well pretty much my whole life, but I've been doing my best to get through it page by page for a lot longer than I had hoped. But like my husband always says, "It's not how you start, it's how you finish." And so I'm close to finishing. Finishing so that I can start over again. Because it never fails that, although I'm fairly certain I've read the majority of it by this point in my life, new things always pop out and surprise me as if I was reading it for the first time. This time, it was Philemon.
This tiny, I mean tiny, little book was so profound for me. It is an incredibly direct and simple letter written by Paul to Philemon. Many of Paul's letters are really lengthy and packed full of so much wisdom and advice that you can have about a million different takeaways each time you read, and re-read, them. But this one focuses on a few simple principles. Forgiveness, repentance, and doing the right thing. And if you ask me, those are often the hardest things to do.
So here's the main idea of Paul's letter. Philemon had a slave named Onesimus who ran away. If you know anything about slavery, you know well that running away often resulted in terminal consequences. Onesimus ends up meeting Paul along the way and accepts Christ. Now that he is a believer, he knows he needs to return to Philemon because it's the right thing to do. And so Paul sends him with a letter to give to Philemon to remind him that he should accept Onesimus back with forgiveness as he himself has been forgiven and also because they are now brothers in Christ. And Paul says, " I could demand it in the name of Christ because it is the right thing for you to do, but because of our love, I prefer just to ask you." (Philemon 1:8-9)
You should do it because it's the right thing to do.
I've said this before, and I'm going to say it again. You can't make anyone do anything, especially the right thing. In fact, I think that is a pretty obvious statement if you know anything about people. Yet because we cannot make anyone do the right thing does not mean that we ourselves shouldn't go ahead and do the right thing. Because here's the deal, Onesimus was a forgiven man, spiritually speaking, and he wasn't going to lose his salvation if he never returned to Philemon. God would love him the same regardless, but his actions, his desire to do the right thing, revealed his love and dedication to the Lord. He was living out what he believed. He knew that he needed to right the wrong that had been done to Philemon even though it probably didn't seem like much of a wrong to us. But God makes his word clear, and whether or not we like it, we've got to respond one way or another.
Neither Onesimus, nor Paul, could make Philemon do the right thing, either. Neither one of them knew how he respond, either. Sometimes, we just have to hold our breath while doing the right thing, hoping it will be reciprocated. But it was obvious what Philemon should do. Would he? Only time would tell, and Onesimus decided to go ahead and do his part regardless.
I wish we knew. I wish we would have known if Philemon did the right thing as Paul encouraged him to do. But we can only hope. We can only hope that Onesimus was met with forgiving arms and a welcoming hug. And we can hope that the others who knew of this situation, who were experiencing it or maybe even considering it, were encouraged by their actions and followed suit. Because our behavior, our choices, our decisions influence others to act. We're more influential than we know, and when we do the counter cultural thing, when we do the right thing, when we act in a way that is contrary to others' expectations, notes are taken. Observations are made. And even if the impact may seem small, we'll never know how God will use it teach and refine others.
So do the right thing. Regardless of the outcome, regardless of how anyone else is acting, of what anyone else is doing, do the right thing. The thing you know God is calling you to do. The thing that lines up with his word. It doesn't necessarily mean it will be easy. In fact, the doing the right thing is often very difficult. But the reward is great because we know that pleasing God and bringing honor to His name is worth every effort.
"Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right." - Psalm 106:3
This tiny, I mean tiny, little book was so profound for me. It is an incredibly direct and simple letter written by Paul to Philemon. Many of Paul's letters are really lengthy and packed full of so much wisdom and advice that you can have about a million different takeaways each time you read, and re-read, them. But this one focuses on a few simple principles. Forgiveness, repentance, and doing the right thing. And if you ask me, those are often the hardest things to do.
So here's the main idea of Paul's letter. Philemon had a slave named Onesimus who ran away. If you know anything about slavery, you know well that running away often resulted in terminal consequences. Onesimus ends up meeting Paul along the way and accepts Christ. Now that he is a believer, he knows he needs to return to Philemon because it's the right thing to do. And so Paul sends him with a letter to give to Philemon to remind him that he should accept Onesimus back with forgiveness as he himself has been forgiven and also because they are now brothers in Christ. And Paul says, " I could demand it in the name of Christ because it is the right thing for you to do, but because of our love, I prefer just to ask you." (Philemon 1:8-9)
You should do it because it's the right thing to do.
I've said this before, and I'm going to say it again. You can't make anyone do anything, especially the right thing. In fact, I think that is a pretty obvious statement if you know anything about people. Yet because we cannot make anyone do the right thing does not mean that we ourselves shouldn't go ahead and do the right thing. Because here's the deal, Onesimus was a forgiven man, spiritually speaking, and he wasn't going to lose his salvation if he never returned to Philemon. God would love him the same regardless, but his actions, his desire to do the right thing, revealed his love and dedication to the Lord. He was living out what he believed. He knew that he needed to right the wrong that had been done to Philemon even though it probably didn't seem like much of a wrong to us. But God makes his word clear, and whether or not we like it, we've got to respond one way or another.
Neither Onesimus, nor Paul, could make Philemon do the right thing, either. Neither one of them knew how he respond, either. Sometimes, we just have to hold our breath while doing the right thing, hoping it will be reciprocated. But it was obvious what Philemon should do. Would he? Only time would tell, and Onesimus decided to go ahead and do his part regardless.
I wish we knew. I wish we would have known if Philemon did the right thing as Paul encouraged him to do. But we can only hope. We can only hope that Onesimus was met with forgiving arms and a welcoming hug. And we can hope that the others who knew of this situation, who were experiencing it or maybe even considering it, were encouraged by their actions and followed suit. Because our behavior, our choices, our decisions influence others to act. We're more influential than we know, and when we do the counter cultural thing, when we do the right thing, when we act in a way that is contrary to others' expectations, notes are taken. Observations are made. And even if the impact may seem small, we'll never know how God will use it teach and refine others.
So do the right thing. Regardless of the outcome, regardless of how anyone else is acting, of what anyone else is doing, do the right thing. The thing you know God is calling you to do. The thing that lines up with his word. It doesn't necessarily mean it will be easy. In fact, the doing the right thing is often very difficult. But the reward is great because we know that pleasing God and bringing honor to His name is worth every effort.
"Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right." - Psalm 106:3
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