Lessons from a Runaway Slave_03 Philemon 17-25 God must have a special love for runaways. The pages of Scripture record dozens of people who were prone to flight. From Adam and Eve's attempt to elude God, through Jacob's escape from his brother, past generations of God's people on the run, to that inner circle of disciples who fled from the garden when Jesus was captured, the Bible is a collection of runaway lives. God's special love for runaways is beautifully illustrated in the life of a slave named Onesimus.We are not told why Onesimus ran away from Philemon's house in Colosse. Eventually, he and Paul were reunited in Rome. Though we might crave details, Paul simply wrote that Onesimus became a follower of Jesus. Later, his spiritual growth caused Paul to call him a "faithful and beloved brother" (Colossians 4:9).Eventually, Paul and Onesimus decided it was time for the runaway slave to return home. Paul wrote a letter of explanation to his friend Philemon, assuring him that Onesimus would now serve him wholeheartedly. Paul took responsibility for any restitution Philemon might require of Onesimus. As difficult as it might be for him, Onesimus, the runaway slave turned believer, had to return and face his old life as a new person.When God finds runaways, he often sends them back to the very places and people from which they ran in the first place. As God has become real in your life, how has your past come into new perspective? Are there still situations from your past that need to be resolved?
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Coming from Arab, Alabama, and growing up in Tampa, Fla. I moved with my family to Georgia in 1969. I was saved by God’s marvelous Grace in September 1972 at Blue Springs Baptist Church located down the road from North Cobb High School in Acworth, Ga. Called to preach at 16...
