Spiritualism

Something of interest.  In America, if you suggested someone was demon possessed, then you would be accused of being old fashioned or not mentally all there.  Everything is about science and materialism.  Yet if you go to third world countries, the people there can tell you chilling stories about how there are super natural forces at work.  It is easy to become complacent in "civilized" society.  Faith and trust in God grows when you live with Him in each aspect of your life.

In South Korea, there is a lot of problems with occults.  There is a Jesus here who is trying to get a following (and succeeding I hear) to be a part of his kingdom.  There are occults centered around a female Jesus, Mary, and angels.  It is insane how popular some of those beliefs can be.

Yet it is understandable.  This culture has the ingrained belief that something exists beyond what science supports.  I know that if I just ask God to get rid of the bugs, to help me find something, or to deal or get through another day that He will.  Yet I often feel unworthy to ask for His help.  My toilet got stopped up, again, and I didn't pray about it.  I didn't think I should use Him and His love for me so lightly.  But He wants to be there for me.  And finally, I prayed aloud so that the universe is witness for God to just fix it since I wasn't getting anywhere.  He immediately did.

He wants to help that recipe turn out.  He wants to help you design a garden.  He wants to help wash the car. He wants to join you on a morning walk.  He wants to show you another species of bird you might not have seen that week.  He wants to be your Friend and spend time with you on things that might seem mundane or unworthy of note.  In the same way, He wants to help you organize Vacation Bible School.  He wants to help you with the grocery shopping.  He wants to listen to you and whisper thoughts into your mind as you drive long hours.  He wants to be with you.  Jesus is amazing like that.

So why wait?  Tell Him you want Him in your life (again and again and again... every hour).  Read His word and look for another aspect of His character and love.  Look around you for anything positive or good.  That is a gift from Him!  He loves you.

Philemon 1:12-13

Paul is sending Onesimus back.  Paul calls him his own heart.  That he wants to keep his heart (Onesimus) with him.  He is even willing to have him stay to take care of him as if Philemon had sent a gift.  Yet he couldn't do this.  He, despite his love for the man, sent him back.  Because he made this sacrifice, he begs Philemon to not turn the man away.

Reminds me of several things.  How David was a man after God's own heart.

Also, how we should treat others and those around us.  Can you think of those near you who you care about?  They are a part of your heart.  You should take care of them and if need be then let them go to do God's work.

Philemon 1:11

Onesimus is what we know this fellow as.  Yet the play on words here between his name and "unprofitable" or useless makes one wonder if that had just been a nickname.  It doesn't matter.  What is important is his character.  He evidently was quite the trouble maker.  Yet something happened when Jesus entered his life.  He became worth something.  Not just as a follower of Christ, but in the secular sense.  He wasn't an annoyance anymore.  Just is the outcome when Jesus is in our heart... our character improves.

Philemon 1:10

This is an amazing text.  There is this fellow that Paul talks about named Onesimus.  He became Paul's son while Paul was imprisoned.  In that culture, if you could avoid it then you didn't associate with those who were in trouble with the law.  If you were in prison, you had to pray that your family would not be so fearful as to neglect you.  Here is a situation where Paul is in prison.  How did he meet Onesimus and more importantly, how did they become such good friends?  Whatever the outcome, it seems that Onesimus has joined the family of Christ (assumed from the use of "son") and that Paul has taken him under his wing.

Philemon 1:8, 9

"though I might be very bold in Christ" - I like how he wrote this.  He is saying that it is with Jesus that he is bold, not by himself.  Just think, the timid can be bold with Jesus in them.  Also though, we can make requests of others if it is something Jesus would approve of.

Yet though he threatens to (and in a way did, because he mentioned it), he begs that it is for love and not authority reasons that he be listened to.  How beautiful is that :)