August 18, 2014
""I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ's sake."" (Philemon 6)
If you are a true child of God, you are filled with more riches than you can possibly imagine. You are like the son of a multi-millionaire who somehow doesn't realize the inheritance he possesses.
Paul is constantly trying to lift our eyes to see what we have in Christ. One of the main reasons we need this is to lay aside the minor, useless trinkets of the world that garner our attention so often. We play with plastic when we own gold. We are enamored with the box and miss the real present inside.
Paul reminds Onesimus about this in his small letter to him.
He is praying that his faith will become more effective. More active, more released, more exercised. How could this be? ""Through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ's sake."" In other words, if we realize what we have in us through Christ, it stimulates us to believe more and trust more in the Christ who lives within. This knowledge empowers our faith to believe in the riches we possess so we don't have to slum around looking for trash on the ground to feed us.
And our faith changes things. When we believe in God and trust Him, God moves and works and the world sees the reality of our King. That's what is at stake. Will the world just see what we can produce and provide or what the God who lives within us can do? One is passed off with ""well, other men can do that"" but when God is manifested the world is stunned and drawn to Him.
Do you realize that the Spirit of God lives inside you today? That everything you need and more is present? That He is waiting to lead you into intimate communion and God-sized activity? Let your faith become effective through the ""knowledge of every good thing which is in you!""
May 14, 2025
How important is this "word of reconciliation" that has been entrusted to us? There simply is no greater, more important word. Every person around you and their eternal destiny depend upon receiving this word
May 08, 2025
All of us are dramatically shaped by how we view ourselves. Some have too low a perspective; some too high. To be imbalanced here is harmful in either direction.
May 06, 2025
We spend our lives trying to gain certain things and are full of joy when we get them. Our first car, our first job, our first home. Reputation, and prestige, and influence. The list is long. But is it possible to have all those things and not have the most important thing?
