Faith that Forgives: Christian Devotional Readings from Philemon: Ordinary Believer Devotionals, #3

By Rebecca Livermore

Close your eyes for a minute and imagine that you're in prison for sharing your faith. Now imagine the shock you'd feel if you learned that your cellmate stole from and betrayed your dear friend, a friend you loved so much, he was like a son to you. 

That's exactly the setting for the book of Philemon. While in prison, the Apostle Paul met a runaway slave named Onesimus. As the story of Onesimus unfolds, Paul discovers that his cellmate had ripped off, and ran away from his master, Philemon -- a man who happened to be very dear to Paul. 

Under the circumstances you'd expect Paul to make Onesimus' life miserable. Instead, Paul embraced Onesimus, led him to faith in Christ, and grew to love him like a son. 

Like all good fathers do, Paul sought to reconcile his two "sons," Onesimus and Philemon. He did so, through a letter, which we now know as the book of Philemon. 

Philemon is one of the shortest books in the Bible. At less than 500 words long, it's more like a blog post than a book. But don't let the length fool you. It's short, but powerful, with deep lessons that are just as relevant today, as they were when penned nearly two thousand years ago. 

Faith that Forgives explores those lessons through 13 devotionals that cover topics such as:
 

• Why every home is a church
• The perfect time to pray
• The power of knowledge
• How to lead with love
• The power of change
• The one word to consider during both trials and triumphs
• How to exceed expectations
• And most importantly, the power of forgiveness and reconciliation

If you long to experience true freedom in Christ, you need Faith that Forgives. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ordinary Believer
• Release date: Dec 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781386224723

Rebecca Livermore

Rebecca Livermore is a bestselling author, blogger, and the cofounder of Ordinary Believer, a ministry focused on helping "everyday" Christians apply biblical truths in meaningful ways. She has been married to her husband, Chuck, for more than 30 years and is the mother of two young adults who affectionately nicknamed her, "Hot Rod Mama."

Book preview

Introduction

About the Book of Philemon

Philemon is one of the shortest books of the Bible. Weighing in at less than 500 words, in modern day terms, it’s more like a blog post than a book. But don’t let the short length fool you; the book of Philemon packs a powerful punch.

Part of the reason that Philemon is so powerful is because it deals with a topic that all of us can relate to – betrayal.

Philemon was a God-fearing man, the leader of a house church in Colossae. As was the custom of the day, he was a slave owner. His slave, Onesimus, ran off. He landed in prison, where he met the Apostle Paul. Paul led Onesimus to Christ. When it came time for Onesimus to return to Philemon to make things right, Paul wrote a letter to Philemon, exhorting him to forgive Onesimus.

The book of Philemon is ultimately a book about betrayal, and forgiveness. It provides a beautiful picture of Christ’s forgiveness for us, and reminds us of the need to forgive others. 

About this Book

I titled this book, Faith that Forgives because when we truly have faith in an all-loving and all-knowing God, we can rest knowing that he’ll take care of injustices that we experience.

In this book I take a verse-by-verse look at the lessons presented to believers today, through the book of Philemon.

Faith that Forgives explores those lessons through 13 devotionals that cover topics such as:

Why every home is a church

The perfect time to pray

The power of knowledge

How to lead with love

The power of change

The one word to consider during both trials and triumphs

How to exceed expectations

And most importantly, the power of forgiveness and reconciliation

In the same way that the book of Philemon is one of the shortest books of the Bible, this devotional book is shorter than my other devotional books. If you read one devotional per day, it will take you approximately two weeks to complete. 

This Book is For You If. . .

The entire line of Ordinary Believer books is written for. . . ordinary believers. Our books are practical in nature and get to the heart of what it means to live the Christian life. While ministry professionals who have advanced theological degrees may well enjoy and benefit from our books, they were written by, and for, laity – Christians who love Jesus and the Bible, but may or may not have attended seminary, and probably aren’t fluent in Greek or Hebrew.

If that describes you, you’ll likely benefit from our books, as well as the content published on our website, OrdinaryBeliever.com.

About the Author (an Ordinary Believer)

Rebecca Livermore has been a freelance writer since 1993. She started off writing for Christian publications such as Discipleship Journal and Pray!