As Paul the apostle wrote to
the church located in Philippi, he desired to send Timothy and
Epaphroditus their pastor to be with them. Epaphroditus was concerned
for them because they heard he was sick, and in chapter two and verse
twenty-seven of the letter to the Philippians we see just how sick he
was. We read:
For indeed he was sick
nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but
on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
The
verse begins, “For indeed he was sick nigh unto death:”
Rather than being a cold, the
flu or some temporary sickness, Epaphroditus was “sick
nigh unto death” which means
“to be weak, feeble, to be without strength, or powerless
almost to the dying state.” In other words, Epaphroditus was so
sick that he was close to death. When we see the level of his
sickness we can understand more fully the level of the Philippian
church's concern for him.
The
verse goes on to say, “but God had mercy on him;”
Though Epaphroditus was so sick,
“But” declares the beginning
of the alteration - “God had mercy on him”.
Even though this sickness had the better of Epaphroditus, God's mercy
which means “to help one afflicted or seeking aid” was
superior.
The
verse continues, “and not on him only, but on me also, lest I
should have sorrow upon sorrow.” Paul adds that God's mercy was
upon him as well because he would have had “sorrow upon sorrow”
which means “pain and grief” upon “pain and grief” if
Epaphroditus would not have survived. It was difficult enough for
Paul to be in prison for sharing the gospel, and to have Epaphroditus
die while he was there would have only added to the troubles that
Paul was experiencing.
Once
again as we consider this man Epaphroditus, we may be challenged in
our own lives. Do we love people in the manner and concern of these
Philippians or even the apostle Paul? If Epaphroditus would have
died, Paul would have “sorrow upon sorrow”. Do we have
people in our lives who we'd place in that category? Perhaps we are
sick and are in need of God's mercy. Do we have people who are as
concerned over us as the church members in Philippi were over
Epaphroditus? One thing is certain, these relationships set a
standard for us to emulate, and maybe our prayer should be, Heavenly
Father, help us to love others and be as concerned for them as these
examples have been before our eyes.
Next
time Paul says more about
Epaphroditus' return,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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