Thought for the day...

WORD From The Woods



Philemon 1:1-7
1 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker 2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.[a] 7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

One thing that stands out to me in this passage is Paul’s consistent thankfulness for Philemon. He writes, “I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers.” It’s easy to skim over verses like this, but they hold valuable insight and application. Coming from a Pentecostal background, I often heard people speak about the amount of time they would spend in their “prayer closets” each morning. Some would share how they prayed for one or two hours before ever leaving the house, and I always admired this as a mark of deep devotion to the Lord. Yet, if I’m being honest, that felt unattainable for me. The various demands of life, whether it was kids, work, mental distractions, or sheer exhaustion, kept me from spending this amount of time in prayer. It left me having a constant sense of guilt.

Looking back, I realize I had turned prayer into a legalistic task rather than a means of genuine communion with God. I thought about making prayer journals to help me track requests, stay focused, and spend more intentional time with the Lord. While the idea might work for some, it didn’t for me. My busy schedule and frequent fatigue made it hard to stick to it, and I felt guilty about falling short of that too. But when I read this passage, I notice something important: Paul didn’t mention a strict prayer routine or a journal. He said, “when I remember you”. When Philemon came to mind, Paul thanked God for him. This makes me think of the long hours Terry puts in logging. Just thinking about his long hours makes me tired! I work in Forestry, so I put in long days too but not as often as he does. For many of you in the industry—logging, trucking, forestry— early mornings and late evenings are normal things, and like me, you might feel anxious about not having time to read the Word or pray as much as you think you should.

My encouragement to you is this: Relax. Think about the Lord throughout your day. When someone or something comes to mind, pray. When you have time, read the Word. Strive to make a concerted effort because there is life and grace given to us through praying and reading. But don’t beat yourself up over missed sessions. God hears you when you call on Him, and He is faithful to answer.

Colossians 3:1-3

1If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

I Thessalonians 5:16-18

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.



Have a blessed week!

-Ethan-

 

As far as gas pumps are concerned; I don't need ads being rammed down my throat about how i should spend my money, while I'm already spending my money. Whoever thought of putting a tv screen on a gas pump should catch a bullet with their face.

 

I don't like them either. They should have an off button for us.