Today’s Thoughts – 7 December 2020
By T. S. Candee on December 7, 2020 in Second Timothy Thoughts
This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me. The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.
Our lesson for today is that we should desire to be like Onesiphorus and not like Phygellus and Hermogenes. Paul gives us a stark contrast between these two sets of people here.
Phygellus and Hermogenes
It has been said that the people closest to you will be the ones that can hurt you the most. Phygellus and Hermogenes were that to Paul. When Paul was arrested in Rome, they forsook him and turned away from him. This is not the type of character or attitude we should have towards the man of God or his ministry.
Right now in our country, there are churches that are making hard decisions to keep their doors open, invite people to continue to come, and continue to preach the Word. Some are making these decisions in lieu of fines, scrutiny, and possible jail time. Yet there are people in these churches who will not stand with their Pastor and the hard decisions he has to make.
We cannot be like Phygellus and Hermogenes. We must stand with our Pastor, be found with him, and not forsake him. This will be a refreshment to him and to his ministry.
Onesiphorus
The contrast to Phygellus and Hermogenes is Onesiphorus. He traveled to Rome to find Paul. And the search was not an easy one for him either. The Romans did not want anyone to interact with Paul during his imprisonment as it led up to his execution.
Onesiphorus did not forsake Paul and he was not ashamed of his chains. Instead, he refreshed Paul, he fellowshipped with Paul, and he encouraged him in the Lord.
This is the type of person we must be to our Pastor. One who sticks by him through thick and thin, one who is loyal to God’s servant, and one who is an encourager, helper, and prayer warrior for him.
You and Your Pastor
Let me not give you the impression that your Pastor is infallible or perfect. That is far from the truth, for he is just a man like the rest of us.
However, God has ordained him and placed him as the under-shepherd for your church. And with that comes the weight of people of the church on his shoulders. He needs men to hold his arms up during battles like Aaron and Hur did for Moses (Exodus 17:12).
You can be that person for your Pastor. He needs people like that close to him as the world, the flesh, and the devil attack him and his family for serving Jesus Christ. Be an Onesiphorus for your Pastor today!
