Relationships — We Can Appeal to Others in Love

The Epistle to Philemon is a prison letter, co-authored by Paul the Apostle with Timothy, to Philemon, a leader in the Colossian church. The book of Philemon 
is comprised of 25 verses, and contains approximately 335 words, depending on the translation. Consider verse 9:
“…I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love...” 
Relationships can be hard, but Paul’s example in the letter to Philemon prompts us to consider appealing to others in love rather than desperation, anger, or haste. Imagine if we appealed to one another and made requests with a clean conscious and pure heart based in love. I suspect we would see life-giving changes rather than hurt feelings and strained relationships. I'm reminded by the Book of Philemon that good relationships don't happen overnight - they take commitment, compromise, forgiveness and most of all...effort. 

Godly relationships take love...