Just a Thought: Sometimes we have to be the bigger person and give someone another chance. Not everyone who hurts, wrongs or offends you is ready for your garbage heap. Sometimes we have to not only forgive past things but also start over. I know what you are thinking “Man, that is just too hard with this one.” Well, we have to have the help of the Lord. We certainly have to allow others room to fail (like we expect them to do for us). We certainly don’t want God to hold our past over our head. And we are to do for others what God has done for us. Put yourself in Philemon’s sandals (a slave owner) for a moment. Keep in mind slavery in Paul’s day was very much in affect. Slavery is an ancient practice dating back even before the Jews were in slaved in Egypt and beyond the days of Abraham. People could become slaves in a number of ways. They could be slaves due to being a conquered people of war. They could be poor and sell themselves into slavery. They could even sell themselves into slavery to pay off a debt they couldn’t pay. And of course you could be born into slavery. How a slave was treated depended completely on the character of the master. Even believers owned slaves in Paul’s day and Philemon was a believer with slaves which probably speaks to his wealth. Scripture has a lot to say about slavery. But that is for another time. Slaves who were believers were instructed to obey their masters (Eph. 6:5, Col.3;22, tit. 2:9). And masters who were believers were certainly expected to treat their slaves properly. Now I don’t know why Onesimus was a slave. But he was and he was under the care and command of Philemon when one day he took off. Running away, he ends up running into Paul on one of his times of imprisonment. Paul develops a relationship with Onesimus and leads him to the saving knowledge of Jesus. Then the difficult thing happens, Paul asks two people with a troubled past to do the right thing. Onesimus is to go back to Philemon which is his right and legal obligation. And, Philemon, who is to take him back, accepting him without retaliation and treat him with respect and kindness. Talk about tough! Paul used the reasoning for his request as the fact they were now both believers and this was the right thing to do as believers. “I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me. I am sending him — who is my very heart — back to you.” (Philem 10-13) What was the ask? Give each other a second chance. Drop the grudges. Forget the past. Start over fresh. Receive one another as brothers in Christ! Would it be easy for either? No one said that! But easy isn’t always right and doing right isn’t always easy. But right is right! Sometimes we have to be the bigger person and give someone another chance. Who would step up first here? Onesimus would have to go home with this letter, and Philemon would have to decide and respond on the spot. Who will take the first step when it comes to your relationships you or will you sit back and wait to see what the other person does? Let me encourage you to be the bigger person today! Take the first step and begin to be reconciled to your brother or sister in Christ.
