3 Day Study of 2 John
“And now I ask you, Lady, not as writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments…” 2 John 5-6
Day 1
John wanted to encourage this lady by reminding her of the basic commandment to love one another. I don’t think that she had stopped doing this…John just wanted her to continue loving and to love even more. Now how is it that we do this? By walking according to God’s commandments. God knows what is best for us and what is best for others. So if we follow God’s commands, we will be giving others the best of ourselves and the best of God. To do this, you must love with your whole self (Luke 10:27) and sincerely (1 Cor. 13). Let us honor God by loving him through obedience, wholly and sincerely.
May you give and receive lots of love!
Day 2
Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the father, in truth and love.
2 John 3
How many of us would reject grace, mercy, peace, truth, and love if it was offered to us on a platter? The great thing is that it is offered to us. And the sad thing is that many people reject it everyday.
I hope that your day/week/year will be blessed with grace, mercy, peace, truth, love, and much, much more. I also hope that you share these blessing with others. Show them how much they need it.
May this be a time in which we serve the Lord wholeheartedly and in turn receive His rich blessings.
Grace, mercy, peace, truth, and love to you all!!
Day 3
“Watch yourselves, that you might not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.” 2 John 8
Before you start this devotional, you need to read
2 John 7-11.
John commends this lady and her children for the good work they have been doing, but John also sends a strong message: WARNING, You are at risk!! First, He says do not lose what we have accomplished (walking in truth and Love). You have a reward waiting. Don’t Quit. Don’t Stop. And most importantly don’t be fooled by those who teach against Christ. John wants this lady and her children to be on guard and to protect their souls and reject those who do not teach the truth (verse 10). Who are these people? “Those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.” (verse 7) Do not associate with them even to the point of not saying hello. Sometimes we have to do what we have to do in order to protect our souls.
Now remember that we are supposed to balance this with love. We are to love the lost and those who don’t know the truth. And reach out to them. Consider Matt. 10:14: The apostles were sent out in pairs to take the good news of Christ to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matt. 10:7) They were to go out in love and compassion with self-less giving. But if that city rejected them, the apostles were to “shake off the dust of your feet.” (Matt 10:14) Luke and Mark continue this statement with “as a testimony against them.” Those who reject Christ and his truth are to be in turn rejected. We reject them so that we will not lose the reward that is waiting for us.
May you be watchful for false-teachers. And may you receive your reward in full!