"Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ. I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds: Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me.."
(Philemon 1:9-11 KJV)
Greetings:
I remember receiving word that a young friend (a former secretary) had "received life." Now in the Christian context you might assume that he has received Christ into his life; that he has received the promise of eternal life. I wish that I could say that this was so. He "received life" in the worldly context. He received three life sentences in prison, without parole. When I heard the sentence he had received, in grief, I voiced it aloud:
"HE RECEIVED LIFE."
Still, there is hope to be found hope in those words. It is my hope that his sentence in this world is a sign to me that he has received life eternal, although he may not realize that fact, yet. I have prayed for him often; that we would be one in Christ; that he would enter into the Body of Christ. It is painful for me to think of one so young living behind bars for another 50 or 60 years. But, it is reality. A reality that may seem cruel, but may also be the very opportunity needed for him to "receive life." This friend of mine received the consequences of his actions in this world; yet, he still has the opportunity for freedom; a freedom that is found only in Christ; for all of eternity.
St. Paul spent a good portion of his ministry behind bars. Although scripture has no record of how many received the truth of Christ through the word spoken by Paul, I am sure there were quite a few. We read in Philemon, that he who was in prison had converted the young man, Onesimus. I guess you could say Paul was called to prison ministry, but not in the way most of us view prison ministry. Paul was there, living it. One on one, he experienced the pain and suffering of those in prison with him. Because he suffered the same pain, he understood and because he understood others listened and received life.
There is a prison that we don't recognize as easily as we do the earthly prison surrounded by bars and barbed wire. That prison is our bondage to sin; our bondage to the desires and ways of this world; our desires to be served rather than serve in the love of Christ. This prison is harder for us to recognize and so often we never even desire freedom from it. Many actually come to like it in these chains. Within the walls of a correctional facility freedom can be found in Christ Jesus; freedom to love and serve as the world is not competing quite as loudly for first place in your life.
Jesus promised that: "..the truth shall set you fee." (John 8:32) However, for those of us who may be bound in a prison of worldly comforts of self-serving desires and pursuits, it's really hard to see the truth (often preferring not to see the truth, about our need for forgiveness, so we don't ask for it), remaining in bondage to sin.
As we consider our own freedom; let us ask God to reveal to us whether we are truly free. Let us pray first for salvation, for freedom in Christ. Let us pray for one another, in love, that forgiveness in Christ be received by all God's children who find themselves in prison: both the correctional facilities and those chained to the desires of this world. Let us also pray a prayer of Thanksgiving for our Prison Chaplains and all who work in the Prison Ministry for bringing the Light of Christ into such darkened lives.
God’s Peace – Judy
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