July 24, 2017
Hello Friends. Omar has done such a fine job and it has helped me so much I am going to extend his assignment one more week. He will cover 3 John this week. I will be back July 31 to begin Philippians which will take us through September. Following that we will move into Colossians for October and November. It’s going to be rich, so stay tuned. And thanks for the time off. ;0)
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3 John 1-4
1 This letter is from John, the elder.
I am writing to Gaius, my dear friend, whom I love in the truth.
2 Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit. 3 Some of the traveling teachers recently returned and made me very happy by telling me about your faithfulness and that you are living according to the truth. 4 I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.
CONSIDER THIS
John’s third letter is the shortest “book” in all the Bible. At just fifteen verses, it’s the Twitter post of Scripture.
Let’s start with “I am writing to Gaius, my dear friend…” It’s a short message to an old friend, and I’m pretty sure John never imagined it would go viral. But here it is in the cannon of Holy Scripture.
There’s a lesson here we should consider before we dig into what John is wanting to get across. What’s the lesson? That everything we say matters.
Everything.
Consider what the Scriptures say about words:
Genesis 1
Then God said, “Let there be…,” and there was…
Ezekiel 3:1
The voice said to me, “Son of man, eat what I am giving you–eat this book! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel.”
Revelation 1:19
“Write down what you have seen–both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen.
Proberbs 18:21
The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.
James 3:9-10
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.
In other words, every word matters. Most of what we say, write, post, text, or tweet has the power to speak truth or lies… to create life or death… into our lives and the lives of others. We live in a time with so many “throw away” comments – in person and online – that have the power to destroy or build up… to bring a blessing or a curse.
A single tweet is 140 characters that can be read by no one… or it can start a riot. John’s letter is fifteen verses that started as a personal note… and now is part of the Word of God. Like John’s little letter he intended only for his friend, you never know who’s ultimately going to read or hear what you have to say, and how God wants to use it as a word of good news.
Let that sink in.
To be continued…
THE PRAYER
Heavenly Father, may the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you. Let what I say hold the power of your salvation. In Jesus name, amen.
THE QUESTIONS
1. What are some of the letters, notes, or texts you’ve recieved that you remember? Why?
2. How can the ideas in todays text help transform how you communicate?
For the Daily Text, I’m Omar Al-Rikabi
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J.D. Walt, is a Bond Slave of the Lord Jesus Christ. jd.walt@seedbed.com.