The importance of friendships

with those who lift you up…

4 I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon, 5 because I keep hearing about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. 6 And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. 7 Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people. ~philemon 1:4-7~

in one’s life, we can only hope that we have people to surround ourselves like philemon did for paul. the way paul felt and spoke about him, i can only hope that others would feel the same way. he was grateful and prayed for philemon, mentioning what he has heard about him (faith in Christ) and what he has done for those around him (loving God’s people).

commentary by blueletterbible.com:

sharing of your faith - It is possible that Paul means the sharing of material things, prompted by faith. The ancient Greek word for sharing is koinonia, and sometimes Paul used koinonia, which means “fellowship, sharing,” to describe giving (2 Corinthians 8:4; 9:13; Romans 15:26)

because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother - Paul remembered how wonderfully Philemon had met the needs of other Christians. He effectively refreshed the hearts of others.

i’m so grateful to have people in my lives who do lift me up.