I noticed something interesting and important in the very first verse of today's New Testament reading in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! 3 John 1:
1 The elderly elder [of the church addresses this letter] to the beloved (esteemed) Gaius, whom I truly love.
You may remember that when JESUS was ministering on the earth, John was the youngest of His Apostles. He refers to himself here as the "elderly elder"! That means that by now John has led a very long life! He is often called "the Apostle of Love" because he wrote so much about walking in love, especially in His letters to the churches. His life is a testimony to the benefits of that Love walk! Remember, from 1 Corinthians 13:8, that Love NEVER fails! Tradition says that his enemies even tried to boil John in oil, but they could not kill him! We don't have Bible confirmation on that, but we DO know what the enemy tried to do to Paul, over and over again! It is not very hard to imagine that this account may be very true! And right after declaring who he was, John went on to pray THIS for the church of JESUS CHRIST! Verse 2:
2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.
The encouragement here is to continually maintain your love walk, all the while prospering your soul with the Word of God, and expect to walk in prosperity and abundance in every area of life! AMEN! Now I want to share today's online devotional by Andrew Womack, which continues with the Gospel of John!
HIS WILL IS IN THE WORD
John 17:17 "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is
truth."
In this prayer, Jesus prayed twice that the Father would keep
His disciples from evil. Then He reveals the way that God will accomplish this
- through His Word, the holy scriptures. Anyone who desires to live for God,
reject the devil, and reject the world's system, must know God's Word.
We must study the scriptures, for they reveal the will of God
for our actions and attitudes. To be filled with the knowledge of God's will,
we must be filled with God's Word. God's Word is His will! Those who are
ignorant of God's Word will be ignorant of God's will.
Knowledge of God's will is foundational in developing Christian
conduct and character. There is no way we can fulfill God's will if we don't
know what it is. The starting point for any Christian is understanding God's
will for his life. How can a person obtain such knowledge? The first step is to
desire it. Jeremiah 29:13 says, "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when
ye shall search for me with all your heart." People ask the Lord for
knowledge of His will but don't receive it because they aren't seeking with ALL
THEIR HEART. No one who has ever sought the Lord with all his heart has ever
been disappointed.
The Holy Spirit is the dispenser of God's wisdom. It is through
Him that we know the things God has revealed to us. One of the primary
ministries of the Holy Spirit is to reveal God's will to us.
There is no way we can walk worthy of the Lord and please Him if
we don't know His will. Furthermore, we can't be fruitful without the knowledge
of His will. God has provided all that we need to be successful and victorious
in this life. Believe His Word.
AMEN! God's Word IS TRUTH! It has no contradictions! If you feel that you may have found one, then realize that you have come across something that you just do not know well enough, YET! Set it aside and then follow on to LEARN it! God is faithful to his Word to show it, and then confirm it, when WE simply believe it and DO it! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Let There Be Light":
Shalom in Him!
