II Timothy 1:15-18 - “You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me - may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day! - and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.”
In this second letter from the apostle Paul, we are introduced to one of the more obscure people in the early church. His name is Onesiphorus, which literally means profit-maker and he was very profitable to Paul.
Paul was in prison awaiting his imminent death around 67 AD and while many of his colleagues and fellow mission workers had abandoned him for fear of being facing his same fate, Onesiphorus “refreshed” him. This Greek word literally means “up soul” or the lifting of the soul, but in the first century it came to be used to describe someone cooling down from being hot.
May we be like this Onesiphorus today with our families, friends, neighbors, fellow Christians, and small groups. Speak words that soothe. Give hugs that lift souls. Smile and help in a way that encourages others to keep going. Be present for those who feel abandoned. Be refreshing.
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