We all love to receive an encouraging note from a friend.

And on one page of the New Testament, we find a very personal letter from Paul to Philemon.

This brief note to a friend is full of doctrinal truth and practical help for us all.

Open your Bible and your heart today as we come to the book of Philemon.

Let's join Scott Pauli now as we study God's Word together. Through the years, I've heard this expression used.

I don't really like it.

I'll tell you why in just a moment.

But I've heard people say, he's good for nothing.

She's good for nothing.

I think I understand what they mean by that.

They're not contributing anything. They're not producing any good thing at that particular

juncture. Here's the truth. We are all good for nothing apart from our God because we're all

sinners. In other words, our life has the potential to do one thing, and that is to bring heartache

and brokenness to other people.

We say sometimes to people, you have so much potential.

A friend, apart from Jesus, the only potential we have is the potential to wreck and ruin our

own lives.

And so that's why we need Jesus Christ.

Every sinner without God needs Jesus Christ,

and every saved person who knows God needs Jesus Christ.

I need him every day.

I need him every hour.

...