2 TIMOTHY 1

16 The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain:

17 But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me.

18 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.

THE REFRESHER

In verse 15, Paul says that everyone deserted him, well not everyone.

Here is one person who didn’t.

Paul was in prison, he felt very deserted, after all he had given much of his life to these churches, but no one had come to his aid.

In Acts 23:11, the Lord had stood by him, and Luke in Chapter 4 was the only one left, that is why he asks Timothy to come urgently.

This man although he was a stranger to Rome, sought Paul out. He came to Rome and had no idea how to find Paul. He refreshed Paul, not once but often.

He brought refreshment and encouragement to Paul, maybe he wasn’t highly educated or a great bible scholar, but by his very presence, he made Paul feel better, after he left, Paul felt better.

Let me ask you the following questions:

Do you actively seek out your fellow brothers and sisters? Would you go out of your way to visit them?

Are you ashamed of your fellow believers? Onesiphorus wasn’t, Paul was public enemy No 1, why be associated with him?

This wasn’t a one-off thing; his ministry to Paul was a consistent thing. Maybe he showed Paul hospitality, maybe he gave him lodging, maybe he gave him money, we don’t know.

How often have you sought a believer to refresh and encourage them?
Are you a consistent refresher?

To this man, it was not an option, but it was a lifestyle.

Is it your lifestyle?

God bless you

KK