The Full Extent of Our Love

Philemon 1:1  Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker…

How do we express our love for our Lord?  Many today Love God because of what He gives, for the blessings that He brings to us.  But how many of us are willing to show the full extent of our love, no matter what the circumstances?

I bring our attention to Paul’s introduction in his letter to Philemon.  He began his letter by introducing himself as “Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus”.  This was literally true, for at the time that Paul wrote this letter to Philemon, together with his letter to the Colossians, he was in prison because of who he was – a Christian, an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But there are a number of commentaries that will claim that the term “prisoner” in English weakly translates what the word actually means.  The Greek word used here – “desmios”, literally means “a person bound in chains”.  It makes it more demeaning, doesn’t it?  Paul wasn’t just a prisoner – he was a person that was bound with chains.  These chains were heavy, painful, and literally symbolized the hardship and lack of freedom that a prisoner has.

So Paul, literally, was “bound in chains” for Jesus Christ.  That’s the utmost that Paul was willing to undergo for his Lord.  In fact it would eventually lead to his death.  Are we willing to express, to the utmost, the same love for our Lord as Paul did?

Paul describes the love of a Christian beautifully in this verse:

Ephesians 6:24  Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

He was so filled with this love for God, and so convinced that it should be found in every Christian, that he also wrote:

1 Corinthians 16:22  If anyone does not love the Lord--a curse be on him. Come, O Lord !

He loved the Lord even to the point of disregarding his own life.

Acts 20:24  However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

Oh, it’s so easy to proclaim, or to sing, that we love the Lord.  But up to what extent does our love for God bring us to?  We may not have present day martyrs in our society today, but does our love for God lead us to considering our life worth nothing, or the things or other people in this life worth nothing, compared to our love for God? 

Are we willing to be bound in chains for our Lord Jesus Christ?