The Letter of St. Paul to
Philemon
1. Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, 2. to Appia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: 3. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
(The Letter of Paul to Philemon verses 1 to 3)
Oh God my Father if we had to write a letter to someone in particular in which we choose to speak about You I wonder if we would find someone to address it to. Someone who is spiritually alive and not spiritually mediocre or dead. Amen
4. When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God, 5. because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. 6. I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ.
(The Letter of Paul to Philemon verses 4 to 6)
Oh, God, my Father love is the common element that keeps us bound together in love with ourselves, with others and most importantly with You. As Christians we are known as the 'People of the Book' however, I would like to update that as being also 'The people of the beloved who love'. Amen
7. I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother.
(The Letter of St. Paul to Philemon verse 7)
Oh God my Father if there is something that we cannot live without this is love, that can take many forms, however, the greatest love is that towards You, towards ourselves and towards others. As humans, we can be a means of comfort and consolation to others by what we do and say. Amen.
8. For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, 9. yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love-and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus.
(The Letter of St. Paul to Philemon verses 8 to 9)
Oh God, my Father Love is greater than duty, for duty has connotations of compulsion, that leaves the person no space to decide, however, anything done out of love is a consequence of a person to exercise one's free will and be involved heart, and soul in one's decision Amen.
10. I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment.
(The Letter of St. Paul to Philemon verse 10)
Oh God my Father, the world is my family, our colleagues at work or at school and our neighbours and anyone whom You have pleasure in permitting us to become acquainted and or friends with You and all the members of the enormous family of the world. I thank You for making me a member of this family Amen. Anybody who is Your friend is my friend oh God my Father
11. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me.
(The Letter of St.Paul to Philemon verse 11)
Oh God, my Father, may we never value each other according to how much we can be of contribution to others, for those who are totally bedridden will be valued as being worthless. Everybody has human dignity and value and You love us all without showing partiality or favouritism. I thank You, God my Father.
12. I am sending him, that is my own heart, back to you. 13. I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; 14. but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced.
(The Letter of St.Paul to Philemon verses 12 to 14)
Oh God my Father You also chose to send Your only Son to us, who without doubt was and still is close to Your heart in order to become human and save us by means of his death. I thank You for sharing Your Son with us Amen.
15. Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, 16. no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother-especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
(The Letter of St.Paul to Philemon verses 15 to 16)
Oh God, my Father when You created me as a baby I was also separated from You. In a way, I am also like the slave because as much as the slave is not free to do what he wishes, my flesh also conditions me in not doing what You want me to do in life. I am sorry to say that I am still a slave of my own feelings that like Your own have been hurt many times. My hurts have turned to stress and at times even to outbursts of anger. However, if You want to You can heal me from my sinful self and this is my strongest hope that one day before I die I will have grown in You and become a totally different person than when I was totally in the flesh Amen.
17. So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18. If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. 20. Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ.
(The Letter of St. Paul to Philemon verses 17 to 20)
On reflecting oh God my Father Your attitude was the same as that of the Apostle Paul. You took on Yourself and paid the account of our sins and the sins of the world, sins that had been done since the time of creation, since that were done during the time of Your human and divine existence on earth, and also those sins such as mine that will be done up to the day when You choose to be the fulfillment of time when You chose to renew all as You wish it to be. I would like you to join me in the following song that declares that oh God my Father You paid the full price for us Amen
You paid it all
21. Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22. One thing more-prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be restored to you. 23. Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24. and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and luke, my fellow workers. 25. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
(The Letter of St. Paul to Philemon verses 21 to 25)
Oh God, my Father I would also like to offer You a VIP Room in my heart. I selfishly pray that You come and settle within me or send one of Your angels to accompany me every day of my life, for my life has become so sad that without Your consolation I would surely give up on life. I am surrounded by a negative circle of depression at home which is attacking my soul and spirit. I am always criticised but never encouraged. You are my only hope my God and Father, I am living for You for myself and for my daughter who really and truly loves me. I have faith my God and Father that if it is Your will You can help me in this situation Amen.
Oh God my Father today and every day of my life I invite You as a special guest in my life. You have a special place, that nobody on earth can ever fill or replace. I invite You to come and dwell within me or if this is too much or selfish of me please send an angel to be with me at all times for I greatly need Your support, love and encouragement Amen. Love You Jesus, thank You Jesus Amen.
4. When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God, 5. because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. 6. I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ.
(The Letter of Paul to Philemon verses 4 to 6)
Oh, God, my Father love is the common element that keeps us bound together in love with ourselves, with others and most importantly with You. As Christians we are known as the 'People of the Book' however, I would like to update that as being also 'The people of the beloved who love'. Amen
7. I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother.
(The Letter of St. Paul to Philemon verse 7)
Oh God my Father if there is something that we cannot live without this is love, that can take many forms, however, the greatest love is that towards You, towards ourselves and towards others. As humans, we can be a means of comfort and consolation to others by what we do and say. Amen.
8. For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, 9. yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love-and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus.
(The Letter of St. Paul to Philemon verses 8 to 9)
Oh God, my Father Love is greater than duty, for duty has connotations of compulsion, that leaves the person no space to decide, however, anything done out of love is a consequence of a person to exercise one's free will and be involved heart, and soul in one's decision Amen.
10. I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment.
(The Letter of St. Paul to Philemon verse 10)
Oh God my Father, the world is my family, our colleagues at work or at school and our neighbours and anyone whom You have pleasure in permitting us to become acquainted and or friends with You and all the members of the enormous family of the world. I thank You for making me a member of this family Amen. Anybody who is Your friend is my friend oh God my Father
11. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me.
(The Letter of St.Paul to Philemon verse 11)
Oh God, my Father, may we never value each other according to how much we can be of contribution to others, for those who are totally bedridden will be valued as being worthless. Everybody has human dignity and value and You love us all without showing partiality or favouritism. I thank You, God my Father.
12. I am sending him, that is my own heart, back to you. 13. I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; 14. but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced.
(The Letter of St.Paul to Philemon verses 12 to 14)
Oh God my Father You also chose to send Your only Son to us, who without doubt was and still is close to Your heart in order to become human and save us by means of his death. I thank You for sharing Your Son with us Amen.
15. Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, 16. no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother-especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
(The Letter of St.Paul to Philemon verses 15 to 16)
Oh God, my Father when You created me as a baby I was also separated from You. In a way, I am also like the slave because as much as the slave is not free to do what he wishes, my flesh also conditions me in not doing what You want me to do in life. I am sorry to say that I am still a slave of my own feelings that like Your own have been hurt many times. My hurts have turned to stress and at times even to outbursts of anger. However, if You want to You can heal me from my sinful self and this is my strongest hope that one day before I die I will have grown in You and become a totally different person than when I was totally in the flesh Amen.
17. So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18. If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. 20. Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ.
(The Letter of St. Paul to Philemon verses 17 to 20)
On reflecting oh God my Father Your attitude was the same as that of the Apostle Paul. You took on Yourself and paid the account of our sins and the sins of the world, sins that had been done since the time of creation, since that were done during the time of Your human and divine existence on earth, and also those sins such as mine that will be done up to the day when You choose to be the fulfillment of time when You chose to renew all as You wish it to be. I would like you to join me in the following song that declares that oh God my Father You paid the full price for us Amen
You paid it all
21. Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22. One thing more-prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be restored to you. 23. Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24. and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and luke, my fellow workers. 25. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
(The Letter of St. Paul to Philemon verses 21 to 25)
Oh God, my Father I would also like to offer You a VIP Room in my heart. I selfishly pray that You come and settle within me or send one of Your angels to accompany me every day of my life, for my life has become so sad that without Your consolation I would surely give up on life. I am surrounded by a negative circle of depression at home which is attacking my soul and spirit. I am always criticised but never encouraged. You are my only hope my God and Father, I am living for You for myself and for my daughter who really and truly loves me. I have faith my God and Father that if it is Your will You can help me in this situation Amen.
Oh God my Father today and every day of my life I invite You as a special guest in my life. You have a special place, that nobody on earth can ever fill or replace. I invite You to come and dwell within me or if this is too much or selfish of me please send an angel to be with me at all times for I greatly need Your support, love and encouragement Amen. Love You Jesus, thank You Jesus Amen.
