DAY 63
DATE: 3/4/2013
Good Morning! My name is Jim Fleming and I was asked to give you a devotional thought from the book of II John.
KEY VERSE:
6. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
REFLECTIONS:
These books were written specifically for seeking truth for the family of God. In this second book I chose verse 6 specifically to deal with love. Everything that we do and say needs to be bathed in love if you want to have the close fellowship with God that I John talks about. It is impossible to accomplish that without love. So what does it mean to walk in love as the end of verse 6 says? It means every second of your life must be consumed by the action of love. It means that everyone who sees me must only see the love of Christ. A goal which I hope to accomplish, yet struggle with every day, is showing love to everyone. Sure, some people are easy to love. But what about those who try to trip you up every time they see you – those at work, at the gas station, at the grocery store, at the mall, those family members that you can’t wait to see again, and thousands of other examples of how I don’t want to show love. But thanks be to God for His gift. Only through believing in Christ can I show those people the love that God requires of me. We read that for God so loved the world that He gave… If I cannot give love to the “unlovely” then I am being disobedient to God. In other words, anything contrary to love is contrary to God.
One more thing I would like to bring up about second John. Verse 8 says to watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for. Sometimes the best way to show love is to protect against people. Here John talks about people teaching that Christ did not come in the flesh. As I read this I begin to think about who I have invited into my house. Has it been someone who teaches a false doctrine? Has it been someone who teaches against the love of Christ? Has it been someone who insults Christianity and I don’t confront it? Take, for instance, allowing a Jehovah’s Witness into your home. If you are steeped in the Word and want to share the love of Christ, have at it. However, let’s say your children are around and they hear this false doctrine that someone else is teaching. Will that create confusion in their seeking out Christ? If so, then practice the love of your children by not inviting these people into your home. Now, it is easy to pick on the Jehovah’s Witnesses coming into your house. You may say they are not allowed in my home because they teach a false doctrine. And verse 11 says that I do not want to share in that wicked work. However, what if these false doctrines come in the form of your television, or your computer, or books? The devil has become clever at bringing false doctrine into your home.
APPLICATION:
Learn how to show love to everyone. As you leave in the morning, everywhere you go, every step you make, learn how to show love. As you drive, as you communicate with people. Please understand that without the love that you show them they may not experience the love of Christ, therefore sealing their eternal fate. And please protect your home; do not allow Satan in. Protect against false teachers. Protect against the lies that come in the form of communication to your house. Protect what your children read, watch, and listen to. And more importantly, protect what you read, watch, and listen to, because your child’s version of love is what you’re about to show the world.
Thank you for being a part of the Route 66 Challenge. Thanks for reading, and you have a blessed day.
In Christ,
Jim
WHEN YOU GOT SAVED: Age 9
FAVORITE BOOK OF THE BIBLE: James
FAMILY: Wife Juliet, two daughters Kelsey and Jessica