“AND I PRAY that the sharing of your faith may promote the knowledge of all the good that is ours in Christ” (Philem. 6). This very touching and beautiful letter of Paul to Philemon, the owner of a runaway slave converted through Paul while in prison, reveals the heart of a man in Christ. Here Paul urges Philemon to share his faith by taking Onesimus back, forgiving him, and receiving him as a brother. A real strain on a slaveowner’s faith!
To be in Christ is to share one’s faith, for you cannot have a share in Christ unless you share Him with others. Nothing is ours till we share it. The sharing of the faith makes it possible to share in the faith. Otherwise not—if you are not winning others, Christ has not really won you.
When you share your faith, then you “promote the knowledge of all the good that is ours in Christ.” All the good that is ours in Christ! That is what sharing your faith means—it means telling people around all the good that you have found in Christ. It doesn’t mean that you have to win people by argument; it means that you invite people to share a good—all the good which is yours in Christ. That is the easiest and most natural thing in the world.
All the good that is ours in Christ! Christ is the good, and that good turns out to be good for us—good for the mind. The mind in Christ feels it is no longer biting on futility, but on reality. Good for the soul—the soul, after wandering through futile and disappointing allegiances fastens itself on Jesus Christ and says, “This is it.” The body, now freed from the conflicts of mind and soul, bounced back with health and says, “This is good.” The relationships, now unsnarled by love, say, “This is the way to live—it is good.” It is good and only good!
O Savior Divine, Thy way is good and only good, unsullied by any evil. In everything else I have to pick and choose—in this I have to accept, and accept completely. Thou art good and Thy good is good for me. I thank Thee. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: “All the good that is ours in Christ” has its opposite: “All the bad that is ours outside Christ.”
