Close your eyes for a minute and imagine that you're in prison for sharing your faith. Now imagine the shock you'd feel if you learned that your cellmate stole from and betrayed your dear friend, a friend you loved so much, he was like a son to you.
That's exactly the setting for the book of Philemon. While in prison, the Apostle Paul met a runaway slave named Onesimus. As the story of Onesimus unfolds, Paul discovers that his cellmate had ripped off, and ran away from his master, Philemon -- a man who happened to be very dear to Paul.
Under the circumstances, you'd expect Paul to make Onesimus' life miserable. Instead, Paul embraced Onesimus, led him to faith in Christ, and grew to love him like a son.
Like all good fathers do, Paul sought to reconcile his two "sons," Onesimus and Philemon. He did so, through a letter, which we now know as the book of Philemon.
Philemon is one of the shortest books in the Bible. At less than 500 words long, it's more like a blog post than a book. But don't let the length fool you. It's short, but powerful, with deep lessons that are just as relevant today, as they were when penned nearly two thousand years ago.
Faith that Forgives explores those lessons through 13 devotionals that cover topics such as:
Why every home is a church The perfect time to pray The power of knowledge How to lead with love The power of change The one word to consider during both trials and triumphs How to exceed expectations And most importantly, the power of forgiveness and reconciliation
If you long to experience true freedom in Christ, you need Faith that Forgives.
