“Oft Refreshed”

Sunday, February 10, 2019

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me. 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.”

2 Timothy 1:16–18

Until Bob Greene wrote Once Upon a Town in 2002, most people had never heard about the North Platte Canteen. World War II troop trains, carrying soldiers on their way to war, passed through the small Nebraska town. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, word spread that the next train would have soldiers from their town on it. Five hundred people were at the train station with food, gifts, and letters. But when the train arrived, it carried soldiers from Kansas rather than Nebraska.

The people gave what they had prepared for their own young men to those soldiers they did not know. Then they decided to keep doing it. Every day the troop trains were met with food, snacks, and drinks. The stop in North Platte was only ten minutes, and the people of the town did all they could to make the young men feel loved and appreciated. The North Platte Canteen touched the lives of six million men by the time the war effort came to an end. Greene said that without exception, every soldier he interviewed to find out about what North Platte had meant to them wept as they recalled the gift they had received.

The Bible tells us almost nothing about Onesiphorus. We don’t know anything about his background, education, or profession. The one thing that we do know is that again and again, both in Ephesus and in Rome, he was a blessing to the Apostle Paul. Every day we have opportunities to bless and encourage others, refreshing their hearts, and we must not miss them.

Today's Growth Principle: 

Providing encouragement and hope to others is never a wasted effort.