Step Up & Apologise

Paul wrote this letter to Philemon, his beloved friend, who was the owner of the slave Onesimus. He had met Onesimus in jail and had ministered the gospel to him. He saw the value of Onesimus who had run away from his master and Paul was now asking his slave master to treat Onesimus well as he was now a child of God. Paul had grown in grace to such an extent that he was now willing to take on the wrongs of Onesimus and ask his Master to forgive him and take him back.

Can you imagine that. Paul was wrongfully accused and jailed. He was not a criminal or murderer, yet he was locked up with those who had done wrong. In his journey with the gospel of grace he had been tried by fire, beaten by believers and he received 39 stripes as part of his tribulation in preaching the gospel of Christ. I cannot even imagine what it must have been like to be treated in this way, but Paul took it in his stride. He said he prayed in tongues more than any of us. He had beautiful fellowship with the Holy Spirit and throughout his life he was given the privilege to write almost two thirds of the New Testament. He came in proud and arrogant. He was throwing Christians in jail. He was a well known student of the Law and a brilliant scholar. Yet, here he was in prison for Christ. He embraced the pain of the journey for the joy of seeing many come to Christ. He did not have to apologise on behalf of Onesimus, yet he did. As he said, it is no longer I that live, but Christ in me. This life that he now lived, was lived by the faith of Jesus Christ. He stayed the course, the adversity did not make him turn back.

We feel wronged by little things and sometimes we are too proud to apologise. There is such great joy when you apologise. When you are prepared to be wrong, even though you know that you are right. It is in this action, that the greatest blessing comes upon your life. in the brokenness, there is such beauty. You are never alone, the fellowship of the spirit of God keeps you fills you daily. Rise up and apologise. It’s so worth it. Lay aside the pride and arrogance, it is too high a price to pay.