Living the Truth | Daily Devotion
“How happy I was to meet some of your children and find them living according to the truth, just as the Father commanded.” 2 John 4 NLT
As the apostle John continues speaking to the “chosen lady” or to a specific church, he emphasizes his encounter with her children or church members.
Encounters can be memorable, for good or bad. What is your experience when you come across other Christians?
Are they loving, humble, merciful, gracious, joyous, peace filled, patient, kind, gentle, good, faithful, filled with self-control? Are they genuine or hypocritical? Are they hospitable, with a warm welcome? Do they backbite, gossip, slander? Are they focused on other people or focused on Jesus Christ? Do they encourage you to sin or do they stir you up to love and good works? Do they lie or tell the truth? Can you tell they love Jesus Christ and love obeying Him, or do they defy God? Are they prideful, demanding their own way or do they consider others with respect? Are they grateful or selfish? Are they greedy, covetous, hate-filled? Do they justify immoral behavior and sexual immorality, or do they encourage purity and holiness? Do they love their spouse and family and friends? Are they hard workers or lazy? Do they respect others and what they own?
Do you want to continue spending time with them, simply because you can tell they are filled with the joy of the Lord and their conversation is inspiring? Or do you want the conversation to end because it’s worldly, negative, and toxic focused on degrading people? Do you feel on edge around them, in a type of hypervigilance, or do you experience a peace you cannot explain?
The apostle John obviously had a really good time when he encountered these Christians, as he said how happy he was to see them living according to the truth, just as the Father commanded.
God the Father has commanded us to obey Him – to love Him and to love people. There are so many details to this love that are witnessed in our behavior and they directly impact others’ experience with us.
Our witness as Christians is important, as it is a powerful stance against the enemy who is constantly targeting Christians, seeking to tear down the church.
We will never know every detail of someone else’s life, their previous history, their traumatic experiences, their recent loss of a loved one, their personal struggles, their financial situation, their stressors at work or at home. But we do know is that God has commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves. And when we live our life according to this truth, everyone around us experiences the love of Jesus Christ through us – so no matter what they are currently facing in their life, they experience the love that they need.
Today, will you purposefully love your neighbor as yourself, knowing it’s exactly what they need?
Prayer: Abba, thank You for Your words of truth, please open our eyes to those around us whom we can love purely. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
