Refreshing the Hearts of the Saints

How would you like for other Christians to describe you? How do you think they describe you? Are you a breath of fresh air? Are you a constant complainer? Do you bring life into a conversation? Do you make it hard for people to smile?

When Paul wrote to his friend, Philemon, with a major request, he first described Philemon in a way that should make us want to imitate Paul’s Colossian companion.

Philemon 7 – For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

Paul, describing Philemon, says that the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by Philemon. That, my friends, is something we want said of us. We want to become the kind of people who, when other saints see us and are around us, they are glad for the time. We want to pour into each other more than draw life out of them. We want to brighten and not darken each other’s day.

So, perhaps a good and godly application question here would be, “What can I do to refresh the hearts of the saints?” Take some real time to pray it through. Brainstorm some ideas. Let the Spirit of God help you to be able to help others.

What are some starters? Perhaps consider the following simply as a way to get your mind working in this direction:

• Offer a compliment instead of a criticism.
• Choose to talk about something positive rather than complaining about what you do not like in the local church or the political scene.
• Choose to point humor at yourself instead of teasing your friends.
• Talk about what you like in the worship service or in the local church rather than focusing on what is wrong.
• Ask your friend how you can pray for him or her.
• Give someone a gift for no reason.
• Make a phone call to someone who could use an encouraging word.
• Share with a friend what you are learning in Scripture instead of keeping it to yourself.
• When you find a small problem, something that is not a major sin issue, pray about it and let it go rather than feeling the need to aggressively correct every problem.
• When someone around you does something you do not understand, believe the best about them rather than assuming the worst.

Make your own list. Do it however works for you and your personality. But why not make it a goal in your life to have other Christians say of you that you refresh the hearts of the saints?