God Speaks
Two Short, Heart-felt Notes from the Apostle John
Verse of the Day: It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. (3 John 3-4 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
2 John
Reflection: The point of this short letter by the Apostle John is to warn his readers about false teachers. These men did not believe that God the Son (the Messiah or Christ) came and lived on earth as a human being called Jesus of Nazareth. John advised the Christians not to associate with these men or encourage them. Their teaching was disturbing the faith of many in the truth; however, he did commend the believers to continue living in mercy, grace, and peace out of the truth and love for Jesus Christ, God the Father, and each other.
Prayer: Dear Father God, thank You that God the Son did come to earth as a man, Jesus of Nazareth. Thank You that because of His life, death, and resurrection, I can live my human life in mercy, grace, peace, truth, and love for You and other people. Thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to enable me to do so. Keep me alert to such false teachers in my day. When Jesus returns, may He find other believers and me living according to the truth and loving one another, just as the Father commanded. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will affirm to someone specific that I truly believe that Jesus is the Christ, 100% God and 100% man.
- I will speak up when I hear someone claiming that Jesus was just a good man or that Christianity is just a set of high ideals to be interpreted however a person chooses.
- I will thank God for the mercy, grace, and peace God has given me in the past week.
- I will seek specific ways to live in truth and love, then do them.
3 John
Reflection: This brief letter from the Apostle John to his friend Gaius gives us a picture of what a Christian leader’s life should look like. John commends Gaius and Demetrius while condemning Diotrephes. Oh, that God would raise up more people like John, Gaius, and Demetrius and deal with people like Diotrephes.
Prayer: Dear Father God, thank You for supplying all our needs, both spiritual and physical. Thank you for people like John, Gaius, and Demetrius who put into action their love for You and other people. Help me to be more like them. Don’t let me be like Diotrephes. I confess that the modern culture of my nation is ever increasingly one of arrogance, profanity, rebellion, cancelling, condemnation, lawlessness, fear, and death. Only faith in Jesus Christ can save us! Please, by Your great love, mercy, and grace, forgive us for His name’s sake. Save us and keep us living out the commands in Your word for Your Glory. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will do whatever God shows me to bless and meet the needs of fellow believers.
- I will pray for whatever needs God shows me as well as “put feet to my prayers.”
- I will (in the power of the Holy Spirit) stand up against arrogance, profanity, rebellion, cancelling, condemnation, lawlessness, fear, and death. (ex. participate in a 40 Days for Life vigil praying to end abortion).
- I will (with the help of God) set a guard on my mouth so that I speak only love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.