13 I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel.
So often we concentrate on the liberating aspects of the Gospel. We are freed from sin and the consequences of that sin when we become Christians. We are free to choose life and the obedience that follows that life. We can choose to do the right thing, without the compulsion that accompanies sin. We can enjoy life in so many new ways, now that the blinders have been removed from our eyes. But I think there is another side to the Gospel that we often miss, living here in the West. Paul writes here about the chains of the Gospel. Paul is writing from prison, probably dictating this letter to one of his trusted companions. His hands and feet might be in shackles, fastened to the floor. Every movement is controlled by his captors. He would have been dependent on others for the simplest of tasks. I think of someone who has had a catastrophic spinal cord injury, unable to move parts of their body. Paul, in that time of captivity, has had the help of a runaway slave. And that help was such a positive experience that Paul wants to continue the relationship, but his owner, Philemon, has the rights to this slave. So even in his imprisonment, Paul chooses to give up the small comfort of this slave in order to do the right thing. He chooses to take the hard road, rather than the road of least resistance. When was the last time you took the hard road because you desired to follow closely after Jesus? Perhaps, you made the choice to suffer, to be obedient, rather than go the easy way. Do you remember the feeling of joy following that liberating choice? When we choose obedience over sin, we enjoy the freedom of the Gospel. But the freedom came at a cost; we became chained to the demands of the Gospel; we gave up our freedom! In order to get true freedom, we must give up our freedom. Ready to give up?
The Arnold Journey 