Refreshed Hearts

Philemon 1:6

"For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you."

How important is love! Jesus Himself said that His followers were to be known by love. God's motivation for reaching down to man by sending His Son Jesus to die for each one of us was love. Christ demonstrated His love by sacrificing Himself on the cross. I, in turn, am to love others with the love that God has given me. How does this look practically? Like Paul, I need to pray for love like he did in Phil. 1:9 where he asked that love "would abound more and more in real knowledge and all discernment." Then , I need to let the Spirit have His full sway in my life so that His fruit will grow in me. Love is His first fruit. In addition, I am to love others, and this love is to positively affect my relationship with other believers. Heb. 10:24 says I am to "to stir up one another to love..." If I am stirring up with love and not with discord, then the Spirit is free to work in and through me. What is the source of this love? God has given me a life of "power, love, and self-control." It is His love in me that allows me to love at all. Jude 21 tells me to "keep myself in the love of God, " and I Cor. 16:14 says that all that I do should be done in love. Certainly the love of Christ must constrain me. How powerful and consuming is this love!

Paul shares how blessed his life is because of Philemon's love. It has given him joy and comfort because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by Him. Paul is not so much concerned about his own needs being met by this love, but he is encouraged that Philemon was meeting the needs of other believers. He rejoiced because the cycle of love was growing and spreading. He had joy because Philemon was growing in love as he should. The end result of this love-growth was the refreshment of all. I wonder does my love for others bring refreshment to them? What is refreshment? I think of a ice-cold drink on a sweltering, hot day. Am I that cold drink to others on those hot days of spiritual struggle? Do I complete the cycle by rejoicing when I see other brothers and sisters growing in love and refreshing others as well? The one thing that I notice in this verse is that this love is others oriented. Paul is not concerned about personally receiving this love. Philemon is not giving to get love in return. They both are concerned with giving this love. Joy and rejoicing comes in giving! How very important is love for body life!

Father,

Keep my eyes off myself and focused on You so that I may see the needs of others. Grow my love through the power of Your Spirit living, controlling and constraining me in all that I do and say. I confess that I am so selfish at times that I am not loving. Change me in a big way! Send Your Spirit to break up the fallow ground of my heart, so that I might reap a harvest of Your love.

In Jesus name,

Amen