December 21 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading:

3 John :

¹The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
²Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
³For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.
⁴I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
⁵Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;
⁶Which 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:
⁷Because that for his name's sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.
⁸We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.
⁹I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
¹⁰Wherefore, 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.
¹¹Beloved, 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.
¹²Demetrius 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.
¹³I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee:
¹⁴But 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.

Devotional:

In a national weekly newspaper there was an article called ''Joy's Many Faces." Readers had been asked to submit the three things that contributed most to their happiness. Among the things that were named were books, nature, art, music, friendship, good health, and accomplishment. Many of the notes were beautiful, humorous, poignant. What if the apostle John had written in? His note would have read, 'I have no greater joy than to know that my children walk in truth.'

John, now elderly, had many children in the faith. Gaius was one of them. Gaius was showing in his life a robust faith. John had heard this from some Christian brothers who had seen Gaius and were happy to report his continuing faithfulness to the truth in doctrine and life.

Here John comes forth with that beautifully warm verse which strikes a responsive chord within every true minister of the gospel: 'I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth' (v.4 NIV).

But those of us who have children according to the flesh thrill to this verse, too! To bear children and struggle with their training through the years... to see them make a confession of faith ... to see them weather periods of doubt and rebellion ... to see them settling down into maturing faith ... to know that they are 'walking in the truth'—what greater joy can a parent have?

These children are doubly our children, after all. They are children after the flesh and children after the faith, too.

This joy makes the joy of art, of music, of books, and of all other things beautiful and worthwhile, pale into insignificance!