TRUTH - Believing that God IS truth, it is imperative that we read and follow the teachings in His Word. It ought to be a matter of fact that true followers of Christ consistently obey God’s truth found in scripture.
The only way to be loyal to Christ’s teachings is to study the bible. With our busy schedules we often have a hard time carving out a piece of uninterrupted time to read and pray. The enemy throws all sorts of distractions and time burners to disrupt our good intentions. As the saying goes: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” [1] The only way to enhance our relationship with our Lord is to purposefully enter into scripture reading and even studying daily. I’d say it’s a pretty safe bet that those who don’t read the Bible, do so because they simply don’t want to. Spiritual laziness. Christ paid the price for our sin debt thru a brutal, bloody death and we can’t be bothered to pick of the book and dig into it. How do we ever expect to get to know Him? If you were dating a pretty girl and never spent any time with her how would you expect to get to know her. Catch my drift?
Knowing God takes time and effort. We don’t pick it up thru osmosis like plants. The Bible is spiritual food for our soul. You cannot find God’s truth anywhere else. With the widespread availability of the bible online and in bookstores throughout the globe, it would be totally our fault to remain ignorant of what scripture teaches. Without scriptural knowledge we become susceptible to the false teachers that litter the landscape. If we know the scriptures well we’d be able to spot a heretic when he spoke. Asking them what they have to say about Jesus, as in, is he God’s son and/or is he both God and man? That would be because a lot of the false teachings revolve around Jesus and whether he is both divine and human? Christ is the linchpin of our faith, so we can identify heretics largely by the way they view Jesus.
LOVE - A major point has been made in this letter and many others that God IS love. He defined it and exhibited it in the form of his Son, Jesus the Christ. Love is the main ingredient in true Christianity.
In John’s 1st letter he states: “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment:...” “We love because he first loved us.” [vv. 4:16b & 19]
As followers of Christ, we must embrace the meaning of the letters WWDJ not only regarding what he would do, but also what he would think and say in any and all situations.
It should be clear to us that we are not, nor shall we ever be perfect; we are too flawed for that, but with the Holy Spirit’s help we CAN become malleable clay in the potters hands. God knows all that we are capable of and if we allow it, we can achieve all that God has for us this side of heaven.
Love is the truest ingredient and being selfless makes the loving part much easier. All qualities that we’d have trouble manifesting in our lives ourselves. The Spirit can teach us how to love God and the brethren more. It comes out of giving, and meeting needs ... that’s putting love into action.
FALSE LEADERS - We’ve seen that false teachers are coming at believers full force in the 1st Century, as well as now. We mustn’t allow them a toe hold ... a platform from which to spread their lies. We mustn’t encourage those who are opposed to Christ. Remove yourself from any association with false teachers / leaders. Always be aware of what is being taught in the church you attend. If it contradicts what scripture states, do a little research to prove things one way or another. If our church preaches or teaches something that is diametrically opposed to the solid, definitive truth found in the Bible, we should seriously pray and consider finding another church. No rationalization of falsehood is acceptable in God’s economy.
Next we shall take our first look at John’s 3rd letter to another dear friend Gaius. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing.
In His Name & for His Glory,
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
Source: The Life Application Study Bible
[1] This expression is often attributed to the Cistercian abbot Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153). It’s meaning is: “the intention to engage in good acts often fails. It points up the principle that there is no merit in good intentions unless they are acted on.”
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