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Influence

"I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.  I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing that we have in Christ.  Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints."

-  Philemon 1:4-7

These verses always speak to me.  Paul writes in different letters that he is thankful for those he is writing to.  He is thankful because of their faith, how they live their lives and how they treat others.  It makes me think about my own life.  If I were to ask a friend why they were thankful for me, I wonder what they would say. 

Paul was a great leader and a pastor to men.  It was probably very refreshing for him to hear about Philemon's faith and love.  Are was acting out our faith and love or expecting someone else to do it for us?  Do we look to the pastor to be the one to show faith and love or do we openly show it ourselves, making ourselves known for these aspects?

Thought for the Day:  Am I showing my faith in Christ and love for others so much that others are talking about it?

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