May 30, 2025

THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL TRANSFORMS

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

Tychicus will give you a full report about how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper who serves with me in the Lord’s work. I have sent him to you for this very purpose—to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you. I am also sending Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, one of your own people. He and Tychicus will tell you everything that’s happening here.

Colossians 4:7–9 NLT

---

TODAY’S THOUGHT

At first glance, the closing of Paul’s letters might seem easy to skim. But there’s something rich here—something worth pausing to reflect on.

Paul introduces us to two men: Tychicus and Onesimus. He doesn’t speak of them as mere messengers or assistants—he calls them beloved brothers. That alone tells us something about how Paul viewed relationships in the body of Christ.

Tychicus is described as a faithful helper who serves with me in the Lord’s work. Paul doesn’t see him as a competitor but as a co-laborer, a partner. In the kingdom of God, other believers are never our rivals; they are our family.

Faithfulness, as Paul notes in Tychicus, isn’t proven in moments—it’s proven over time. Anyone can be enthusiastic at the start, but the faithful friend is the one still standing beside you when the road gets hard. That’s the kind of person Paul trusted to carry his letter and represent him.

He also notes that Tychicus serves with me—literally translated, fellow slave. Paul didn’t see ministry as a platform for celebrity, but as a posture of service. True leadership in God’s kingdom is marked by humility, not fame.

Then there’s Onesimus. In the letter to Philemon, we learn that Onesimus was once a runaway slave. But something changed. He encountered Jesus, and everything about his identity shifted. Now Paul calls him a faithful and beloved brother.

That’s the power of the gospel: it transforms our status. From runaway to redeemed. From slave to sibling. In Christ, the labels the world gave us fall away. There are no celebrities and servants in the family of God—only brothers and sisters.

Reflection:

How do you view other believers? Are they co-workers or competitors? Are they truly your brothers and sisters?

---

TODAY’S PRAYER

Holy Spirit, help me to recognize every member of Your family as my family. Help me to see others not through the lens of status or history, but with Your love—faithful, beloved, and equal in grace.

“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”