[Steve Myers] When you hear the phrase, "Go to your brother", oftentimes people will think of Matthew chapter 18. In fact, in verse 15 it tells us, "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault" (Matthew 18:15). And oftentimes we get this image in our mind, we've got to go to them, we've got to face them dead-on, confront them, and make sure they understand this sin. And we think of going to our brother in that way.

No doubt in our lives, there are going to be times that we will have to go to our brother. I think there's another section of the Bible we should consider when we are faced with this circumstance. How do we actually go to them? Well, if you look in the book of Philemon, in Philemon verse 8 – there's only one chapter – but in Philemon verse 8 – in fact, this whole book is really a lesson in how to go to your brother. In verse 8 specifically it says, "Though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting," verse 9 says, "yet for love's sake, I rather appeal to you" (Philemon 1:8-9).

So in Philemon – here's the apostle Paul, who could command him what to do, spiritually speaking, and yet instead he chooses another way. In a way, it is like Matthew 18. He goes to his brother, and he does it with tact.  You read through this whole letter – it's just a short, little letter. Read through it. It's about diplomacy. It's about gentleness. It's about kindness. It's about courtesy. And when you put all of those things together, it is about going to your brother and doing it the right way – not with a confrontational attitude, but with the approach of love.

That's BT Daily. We'll see you next time.