III John 1:12-14
12 Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true.
13 I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee:
14 But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.
Demetrius
Last but not lest is Demetrius. There are only three verses in this portion of scripture about him. We can glean a few things from these verses. Demetrius was a good Christian with a good reputation among all men. He was truthful.
John recommended Demetrius to Gaius. What a great honor to be recommended by an apostle for your Christian testimony.
There are so many examples in the Bible. Examples of godly people and ungodly people. We can learn from both, how to act and how not to act.
Demetrius was a positive godly example to all those he came in contact with. Are we godly examples? We can be with wisdom and guidance from God.
Have a blessed day,
Donna
Showing posts with label 3John. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 3John. Show all posts
Monday, April 26, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Contrast Part 2
III John 1:9-11
9 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.
11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.
Diotrephes
Now we come to Diotrephes, quite a different “character”. He certainly is the opposite of Gaius. No one needed to “brag” on him, he did that himself. He loved to have the preeminence. He always had to be noticed. If you didn’t know what he did he would be the first one to tell you how great he was. I look at him as “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
He used idle talk with malicious words against the believers. If he had the chance to tear someone down with his mouth he would take the opportunity. He did not care who he put down as long as he himself was lifted up. Gossip was probably a main part of his life.
He was not content with anything. He was definitely a half empty kind of guy. Pessimistic was his middle name. He was negative about everything. There are two sides to everything and Diotrephes always saw the bad side.
We also learn that Diotrephes persecuted Christians. He casted them out of the church. Who did he think he was? Obliviously he thought he was in control. He did not recognize the authority of John or the authority of the Lord Jesus. He was self centered, self absorbed and self righteous, all of which are not characteristics of someone who loves God. Verse twelve says, “… he that does evil hath not seen God.”
Do we “brag” on ourselves? Do we need to always be the center of attention? We can learn from Diotrephes what not to do.
Have a blessed day,
Donna
9 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.
11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.
Diotrephes
Now we come to Diotrephes, quite a different “character”. He certainly is the opposite of Gaius. No one needed to “brag” on him, he did that himself. He loved to have the preeminence. He always had to be noticed. If you didn’t know what he did he would be the first one to tell you how great he was. I look at him as “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
He used idle talk with malicious words against the believers. If he had the chance to tear someone down with his mouth he would take the opportunity. He did not care who he put down as long as he himself was lifted up. Gossip was probably a main part of his life.
He was not content with anything. He was definitely a half empty kind of guy. Pessimistic was his middle name. He was negative about everything. There are two sides to everything and Diotrephes always saw the bad side.
We also learn that Diotrephes persecuted Christians. He casted them out of the church. Who did he think he was? Obliviously he thought he was in control. He did not recognize the authority of John or the authority of the Lord Jesus. He was self centered, self absorbed and self righteous, all of which are not characteristics of someone who loves God. Verse twelve says, “… he that does evil hath not seen God.”
Do we “brag” on ourselves? Do we need to always be the center of attention? We can learn from Diotrephes what not to do.
Have a blessed day,
Donna
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Contrast Part 1
III John 1:1-8
1 The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
3 For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.
4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
5 Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;
6 Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:
7 Because that for his name's sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.
8 We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.
Gaius
The apostle John wrote about three men in this narrative, Gaius, Diotrephes and Demetrius. Each of these men had a testimony. Remember one of the meanings for testimony is “an outward sign”. An outward sign can be good or bad. A devotional for the next few days will help us to see who these men were in the early church and what kind of testimony each one had. This could be called a lesson of contrasts.
Gaius was someone who John “loved in the truth.” Obviously he was a truthful man. He was a godly Christian who wanted to please God. People went to John to “brag” on Gaius’ truthfulness. What a great testimony. You can count on Gaius to always be truthful in all his dealings. John was glad to hear the reports. It appears that John was his “spiritual father” and discipled him in the word.
He was faithful (translated trustworthy) to all he met. What an awesome testimony. He had the gift of hospitality. It did not matter who he met, people he knew and people he didn’t know. He treated everyone with the utmost kindness. What did these people do? They told others of his love and kindness. John said that others went out for “his name sake” (Jesus’ name) because of the testimony and help of Gaius.
Are we truthful in all our dealings? Do others “brag” about us? Do we treat others with love and kindness?
Have a blessed day,
Donna
1 The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
3 For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.
4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
5 Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;
6 Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:
7 Because that for his name's sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.
8 We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.
Gaius
The apostle John wrote about three men in this narrative, Gaius, Diotrephes and Demetrius. Each of these men had a testimony. Remember one of the meanings for testimony is “an outward sign”. An outward sign can be good or bad. A devotional for the next few days will help us to see who these men were in the early church and what kind of testimony each one had. This could be called a lesson of contrasts.
Gaius was someone who John “loved in the truth.” Obviously he was a truthful man. He was a godly Christian who wanted to please God. People went to John to “brag” on Gaius’ truthfulness. What a great testimony. You can count on Gaius to always be truthful in all his dealings. John was glad to hear the reports. It appears that John was his “spiritual father” and discipled him in the word.
He was faithful (translated trustworthy) to all he met. What an awesome testimony. He had the gift of hospitality. It did not matter who he met, people he knew and people he didn’t know. He treated everyone with the utmost kindness. What did these people do? They told others of his love and kindness. John said that others went out for “his name sake” (Jesus’ name) because of the testimony and help of Gaius.
Are we truthful in all our dealings? Do others “brag” about us? Do we treat others with love and kindness?
Have a blessed day,
Donna
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