Title
Appealing Without Judgment
Scripture
Without your consent I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary.
(Philemon 1:14)
Devotional
These ought to be the attitudes of the believers: Let us never ask coercing, but always appealing. And let us never respond under pressure but always freely. We are not to lead by mandate, but by imploring. When we ask, we are to ask without judgment. If a request is made and it is a genuine request, we are to be open to an honest answer. The apostle Paul's appeal was firm and well defined, but he left room for an honest response. We do not know if Philemon ever released Onesimus or not, but we do know that he made an eternal appeal. We do know that Paul's appeal was based on his relationship to both men. Therefore relationship has a great deal to do with our approach to each other. The closer the relationship the more able we are to appeal. Let us always learn from the scriptures, whether it is with regard to eternal things or the day-to-day things of this life