Philemon 1:6 I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

I have liked the NIV translation of this verse from the first time I read it, probably around 1980, but the Japanese translation puts a very different slant on it, which is also interesting. Going from Japanese to English, it says, “May your fellowship of faith be living and active because of your knowing well the good things that are being done among us for Christ.” The NIV says that the activity of sharing faith will bring understanding, and the Japanese says that knowledge of what is being done will motivate evangelism. Actually, it really does work both ways, in a positive feedback loop. That actually works in various areas. Dennis Prager often says, “If you want to be happy, then act happy.” That’s not what a depressed person wants to hear, but it is demonstrably true that physical activity is one of the best antidotes to depression. For that matter, I am by nature an intro­vert, somewhat antisocial, but being married to an extremely social person for almost 55 years, I have become at least reasonably social. As far as this verse goes, the more we share our faith, the more we will grasp the magnificence of what God has done for us in Christ, and the more we see God working, through us and others, the more we will want to tell others about Him. This principle applies to many things about life in Christ, because the more we believe , the more those things are manifested in our lives, and the more we see that His Word is true, the more we believe! Of course, faith is always a choice. However, even in the field of medicine, the “placebo effect” is widely recognized. In other words, if you believe a medication is going to help you, then it probably will, even if chemically speaking it is no more than a sugar pill. If we choose to believe God, then blessings this world can’t imagine are poured out on us.

Of course this applies to me, just as it does to everyone else. I have a high IQ, which in some circles would be expected to predispose me to atheism (which is essentially elevating human intellect to the place of God). However, I was raised in a household of faith, by very intelligent and educated parents, and both their instruction and my observation have taught me that there are things man cannot figure out, but God is the answer to it all. I have no question that faith is the smart choice! Actually, sometimes I am amazed at people and think, “Why don’t they have the sense to believe?” However, I have had to learn that I cannot look down on anyone, because compared to God, we are all “acorns comparing height,” to use a Japanese proverb. I was a Drama major in college, and I learned that actions can shape us. Going back to what I said earlier, I have learned that by acting social, I have become social. Thinking back over how I courted my wife, I acted like a seasoned lover, when I was nothing of the sort! I need to see how God wants me to be and then act like it, knowing that He will bring it to reality in me.

Father, thank You for this Word. Help me teach the believers to act like what You say they are, instead of according to the devil’s lies, so that together we may be all that You have planned for us, for our blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!