20 I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Philemon 1:20 (NIV)
It was like Christmas in November. Sarah and I couldn’t remember the last time we were blessed with such a perfect gift – 42 inches of High Def wonder. What it replaced was an embarrassment to the entertainment industry. My church had really outdone themselves for Pastor’s Appreciation. That Monday morning I got up early to figure out how to set it up. It was our day off and we had an old movie to watch. I couldn’t wait to see it on a larger screen with a crisper picture. I was like a kid in a candy store or a pig in slop, happy is an understatement. All was about set. There’s a final chord that went from the back of the TV to the back of the DVD player. I had a problem, it wouldn’t screw into place. It didn’t matter what I did – it was an impossible mission. No connection, no old movie, no day of movie watching pleasure. What to do? What to do? Maybe the nice people at Radio Shack can help me out. So with chord in hand I went out into the cold world in an attempt to save movie day. There was a line and only one person working. Frustrating. And the lady in the front of the line had a lot of questions. Eventually it was my time up. I explained my dilemma showed the Radio Shack lady the problem chord, “I just want to watch my old movie. There’s entertaining fun coming from the DVD source but the TV can’t show me the fun. You’ve got to help me.” The lady walked over to a wall of items neatly hanging on pegs, “This is what you need.” She handed me an adapter, “This goes screwed on the end of your chord and this slides over the connector on the back of the TV.” It was perfect!
So I went home…and she was right. All was in place. I started the old movie and there it was. I’ve seen some amazing things in my life: a sunset, a sunrise, a newborn baby, and all six Star Wars movies, and this view ranked up there with the best. All fixed because of an adapter.
You need to know that the adapter wasn’t the source. It just connected the source to the TV. That’s ultimately what you and I are – adapters. If I would tell you that you could help alleviate the pain in others, the hurts, the struggles with little cost to you, wouldn’t that be a sweet deal? We’ll it’s actually true. You’re an adapter. You connect others to the Source.
Paul says, “You Philemon, refresh my heart in Christ.” The refreshment doesn’t come from Philemon but through Philemon from Christ.
So go out into the world and do the same to others.
Questions to consider:
How can you refresh others in Christ?
Why is it comforting knowing that the refreshment comes not from you but through you?
Who around you needs refreshment?
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