Welcome to Van Life Devotions. Today is Father’s Day and for the first time in 25 years I’ve returned to Sydney on Father’s Day. Even though dad passed away in 2015, nevertheless it’s nice to be with mum today and my parents in law at their house.
In Colossians 4, Paul lists several people who blessed him while he was in prison. One of the listed people is Onesimus. Verse 9 says, “I am also sending Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, one of your own people…” (Colossians 4:9 NLT).
Onesimus was a runaway slave. In those days in the Roman Empire big money was offered for the capture of runaway slaves. There were even professional slavecatchers. Advertisements were posted with descriptions of escaped slaves and offered rewards. If caught, the runaway slave could be punished by being whipped, burnt with iron, or killed. Those who lived were branded on the forehead with the letters FUG, which in our language stood for fugitive.
As a runaway slave Onesimus’ future didn’t look great. Somehow though, he ended up in Rome and was converted to Christ. It may have been Paul that led him to Christ, but certainly, Paul and Onesimus became close. Paul believed in Onesimus and convinced him that he needed to go back to his master, and so he sent him back to Colossae. When the church at Colossae read this letter by Paul, they would have read Paul referring to this runaway slave in verse 9 as “a faithful and beloved brother” and how is one of them – meaning he is now a fellow Christian. But Paul also wrote a separate letter to Philemon, which can be found in your Bibles, who was a member of this church. In this letter Paul, knowing what could happen to Onesimus for running away, asks Philemon for a favour (Phm 1:8) and that was that he would be kind to Onesimus and welcome him (Phm 1:17). Paul went into defense for his new friend and how Onesimus is useful for the Kingdom of God (Phm 1:13). Because Paul believed in this runaway slave, Onesimus future could have been very different.
I am thankful to God for a lady named Miss Perry. Miss Perry worked in my grandparents Cake Shop in Box Hill, Victoria. My grandparents didn’t attend church and so Miss Perry invited the four Moyes children, which dad was the eldest to Sunday School at the Church of Christ in Box Hill. Every Sunday Miss Perry came and collected dad, his two sisters and brother, and off they went to Sunday School. At a young age Dad committed his life to Jesus
Christ. Dad continued to attend church during his teenage years where he met my mother. A few years later they got married and commenced local church ministry and for the next 50 years had four successful church ministries and, among other things, he had radio and television ministries, and he became a Member of the NSW Parliament.
When I came along it was my mum and dad that introduced me to Jesus Christ. I then met Leisl who was a committed Christian thanks to the influence of her godly parents Graeme and Olive Bagley. We got married and had our two daughters whom we had a part in introducing to Jesus, and Chelsea, our 27-year-old daughter was baptized this year at Currumbin Beach. So, I am thankful to God for an old lady named Miss Perry who encouraged my dad to attend Sunday School where he became a Christian and today generations later family members are still following Jesus.
If you are a Christian, who influenced you to be a follower of Jesus? What an opportunity you have in influencing someone for Christ, perhaps your neighbor or work colleague. Our communities need to have your Pauls’ and your Miss Perry’s who encourage and believe in people like your Onesimus’ and people like my dad. Generations to come just may well be impacted.
Let’s pray. God, my Heavenly Father. Thank you for my father and mother who have been a godly influence on me and my siblings. May you comfort those who struggle on special days like today. Help us to be like Miss Perry and reach out to others. May generations be impacted. O God, preserve us who travel; surround us with your loving care; protect us from every danger; and bring us in safety to our journey’s end; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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