“whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels: whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel:”
Philemon 1:12-13 KJV
Paul is demonstrating forgiving love with grace and tact to Philemon, to receive Onesimus, Philemon’s once run-away slave as a dear brother in Christ. Paul says that Onesimus is his very heart and been sent back to Philemon with this letter. Paul would have preferred to keep Onesimus at his side so that he could take Philemon’s place as Paul’s helper during his imprisonment for the sake of the Gospel. It would be hard to imagine a more powerful way to describe the affection between Paul and his spiritual son, Onesimus. The one who gave us the love chapter of love holding no record of wrongs, demonstrated that love in his relationships, even with those who were much younger than he. May we be led by the Holy Spirit to think good of every person and walk in forgiving love, in all our relationships. Amen!
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