Thursday, February 6, 2014

II John: Earning His Nickname

John has sometimes been called "the Apostle of Love."  With writings like II John, it's easy to see why!

Even though this very short book has only 13 verses, we encounter some of the classic refrains we have come to expect from John.

When you hear the words, "I am not writing you a new command..." - I bet you knew what was next!  "...I ask that we love one another."

And what is love?  "That we walk in obedience."

And what is that command?  "His command is that you walk in love."

Of course, it's important not just to know these things, but to do them.  Are you following the command you have had from the beginning?  Are you walking in obedience to His commands?  Are you loving others?

Remember the writings of John the next time you hear someone say the Bible is full of contradictions!  And remember the writings of John the next time you are tempted to act in an unloving way toward a brother or sister in the faith!

2 comments:

  1. The link between obedience and love, I think, shows that love is not always easy thing. It's not all pink clouds, and butterflies, and skipping through a meadow holding hands. Sometimes love means doing the hard thing, like coming to a brother or sister in truth when you see that they are wandering off the path of righteousness.

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  2. How many of us truly heed and follow the command to love? What a great world this would be if we did. How many of our own neighbors--even our own family members-- do we love as we love ourselves? To love as Christ loved and commanded of us, we must first KNOW Him. How can you be like someone you do not truly know? As I sit here reading His Word and praying, I realize, as my mind wanders to the mundane, how much I fail Him.

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