Tag encouragement

The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus

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“For he oft refreshed me“

“The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain,” (2Tim 1:16).  

Who inspires or impresses you? Take a serious moment to think about it.

Is it because they’re successful? Is it because they’re famous? Is it because they’re big shots?

After you think about that, who do you suppose inspires or impresses them? Are they impressed by more successful people, or more famous celebrities? Bigger big shots?

One more question… Who inspires or impresses true big shots? Paul is an Apostle, but he was humble and was able to see the labors of others.

Onesiphorus impressed Paul.

Impressed may not be the right word. He was Grateful, Glad, Invigorated, Renewed, Refreshed. Did Paul release an audible sigh of relief upon being found by him? The scripture is full of lesser known & unknown names of mighty heroes of faith.

Paul was in a Roman prison, (2Tim 1:8). It was about the time that Nero was blaming Christians for the burning of Rome (64AD). This is Paul’s last writing of the New Testament with the purpose to encourage the young evangelist Timothy, (1:6, 2:1, 3:14-15).

Paul was ready to die, and it looked like it was going to happen this time. “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand” (2Tim 4:6). It was no sad moment for him, because he had “fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2Tim 4:7,8).

Even though he had been forsaken by many, he still encouraged Timothy to come to him, for there was still work to be done. “Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me. The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments” (2Tim 4:9,13).

In this letter we learn about ONESIPHORUS. He was a man of…

UNPARALLELED SUPPORT: “for he oft Refreshed me.” (2Tim 1:16a)

UNABASHED FRIEND: “was not ashamed of my chain.” (2Tim 1:16b)

UNSTOPPABLE EFFORT: “when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me.” (2Tim 1:17)

UNUSUAL SERVICE: “in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.” (2Tim 1:18)

UNSURPASSED REWARD: “He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward” (Mat 10:40-42).

The scripture is full of lesser known & unknown names of mighty heroes of faith. God doesn’t waste ink, these examples are there for a reason. “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample” (Phil 3:17).

 Agape,

Spencer

This article is based on a sermon presented at the Franklin & Juniper st church of Christ in Borger, Texas. We invite you to visit one of our assemblies to learn more about Christ.

3 BIBLE VERSES TO HELP YOU WHEN YOU’RE DOWN

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My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Jas 1:2

 

The novice my think that God is just wrong in this verse. How could one possibly find trouble / temptations joyful?

 

If you will read the rest of the passage it says, “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” Jas 1:3, 4

 

We need, nay, must trust God and continue to be joyful in spite of our sorrows. I find this difficult to observe, but if we will trust God and ask for wisdom, He will help us. [Look at vs 5]

 

We tend to think negatively first and most. We’ve got to remember that the righteous have never been forsaken or begging bread. [Ps 37:25]

 

And the LORD said unto him, Go, 1Ki 19:15

Elijah was down. He was being chased by that evil Jezebel for she wanted to have him dead. [vs2]

 

Elijah hid in a cave and was praying that he would die. [vs5] But God had a better idea. God always has better ideas. God told Elijah to “go”.

 

That’s what He wants for all of us. He wants us to go, get up and keep on keeping on. We can never do anything about the past, but we can ALWAYS do something about today.

 

As the old saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. God has spoken to us today. Just as He told Elijah to get busy, He’s told us the very same thing.

 

He’s told us what to do, serve him, work hard, act honorably, love, visit folks and to spread His word. [Among other things]

This brings me to another passage…….

5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Ps 37:3-5

Sometimes we don’t know what to do when things fail to go our way. True, it is hard to know what to do next, but God has never left us without any instructions. When life gets difficult, when it seems like nothing is going your way, that’s a perfect time to check your alignment.

He said to “commit thy way unto the Lord”. This does not mean that we take our ideas and commit them, rather, it means we make sure our ideas are in alignment with His ideals, then commit yourself to the Lord. He added to “trust also in Him”.

So often we focus on how to get the things we want, overlooking the way to live.  Verse 3 said, “Trust in the Lord, and do good.” If we will just do this. I tell folks that don’t know what to do with their lives to just be the best you can be. For if you will focus on being the best you can be, doors of opportunity will open.

Unfortunately, we focus on (not)ty words. I can’t, they won’t, I’m not, are all words that have the wrong focus. It’s shameful, for it speaks against God your personal value. He loves you, so much that He gave His only begotten son. [John 3:16] He gave your abilities [Matthew 25:15], and He places you in a valued position in His church, when you obey the Gospel [Romans 12:6-8]. Let us respect God in our person, using our God given abilities to the best of our efforts.

By Spencer