By Peggy Still—

One of the shortest yet most useful books in the Bible is Paul’s letter to a man named Philemon. A wealthy couple, Philemon and Apphia owned one of the largest homes in their town of Colosse and owned several slaves. One of their slaves, Onesimus, stole some money from Philemon and ran away.

Having no papers to demonstrate his freedom, Onesimus lived the life of a fugitive. Paul had been a friend to Philemon and it is believed that he held church services in the home of Philemon and Apphia. Perhaps Onesimus had overheard the teachings on this new Christianity and maybe even met Paul. We don’t know for sure, but somehow Onesimus found his way to Rome and to Paul. He tells Paul his story and is led to the saving knowledge of Christ. This was the defining moment of Onesimus’ usefulness.

Paul encourages him to return to Philemon’s home, but Onesimus knows he could be imprisoned, tortured or put to death for what he has done. Paul knows that Philemon is a good man, so Paul writes him a letter which is delivered by Onesimus. This letter is the beginning of how Christians and the Church would forevermore view slavery. Paul encourages Philemon to forgive Onesimus and no longer treat him as a slave, but to accept him as a brother.

The core of this message is one of usefulness. One should take note here that Onesimus means “Useful.” Paul points out that Onesimus wasn’t very useful until he met Christ. Paul also notes that without Christ, Philemon doesn’t recognize Onesimus’ usefulness outside of slavery. Onesimus was also courageous. It took great courage for him to run away, to seek out Paul, and return to Philemon. I think we all want to be useful, productive, and leave a legacy. Only Christ can make us vessels fit for the Master’s use. True meaning in life begins when we courageously allow our lives to be useful for His purpose.

 

 

Peggy Still: Peggy continues to serve on staff at The Fuller Foundation in Pasadena, California. Peggy is a featured speaker in a variety of areas for women including finance, social issues and leadership. She also serves as a consultant to churches and other non-profit organizations in the areas of administration and fund-raising. Married to Mark for 33 years they have one daughter and raised two foster children. Peggy and Mark make their home in southern California.

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