Summer 2011
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To The Chosen Lady
“The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth.”
2 John 1
Do you realize that the book of 2 John is addressed to a lady? I didn’t realize this until just recently. I want you to read through the whole book (don’t worry it is only 12 verses) imagining that it is addressed personally to you. John obviously knew the recipients of this letter very well and wanted to encourage them. How does reading this book in this way encourage you?
Some scholars think that the “lady” might be a reference to a church and the “children” a reference to the members of that congregation. Read through the book again. How does this change your perspective?
On the following page is a short 3 day study of 2 John, I hope you are edified and encouraged by this study.
May you have a blessed day!
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!
Prepare Me Oh Lord!
Sunday – The Lord’s Day
O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart so I may spend the rest of this week and the rest of my life in your presence.
Revelation 3:20 – Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with me.
Monday – Wash Day
Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve you with perfect humility throughout the rest of this week.
Psalm 51:2 – Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Tuesday – Ironing Day
Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have collected through the years so that I may see the beauty in others.
Mark 12:31 – Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater.
Wednesday – Mending Day
O God, help me mend my ways so I will not set a bad example for others.
I Timothy 4:12 – Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
Thursday – Cleaning Day
Lord, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart.
Psalm 51:10 – Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Friday – Shopping Day
God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may purchase eternal happiness for myself and all others in need of love.
Proverbs 23:23 – Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
Saturday – Cooking Day
Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love and serve it with the clean, sweet bread of human kindness.
Romans 12:10 – Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love, in honor preferring one another.
Sunday – The Lord’s Day
Once again, O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart so I may spend the rest of this week and the rest of my life in your presence.
Revelation 3:20 – Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with me.
Author Unknown
A Promise Kept
How many promises have you made? Well, probably a lot in your life, but here is another question to consider. How many promises have you kept? In the Bible, there is a lady named Hannah, who made a promise to God. Hannah could not give birth to children (1 Samuel 1:5). This made her terribly unhappy. Weeping, she went to the temple and asked the Lord to give her a son. Then she made her promise. She told the Lord that she would give her son to Eli, who was the priest, to work in the temple (1 Samuel 1:11). When the Lord heard her prayer, he gave her a baby boy. She called him Samuel “…because I have asked him of the Lord,” (1 Samuel 1:20). She kept her promise and gave Samuel to Eli the priest when she had weened him (1 Samuel 1:23-24).
I think it was hard for her to keep her promise, but she did the right thing and kept it. Exactly like her, we should keep our promises that we make; because there is nothing better than a promise kept!
By Morgan C. age 11
Hannah
In 1 Samuel 1:11, Hannah prayed for a baby. The Lord had closed her womb. So she prayed that the Lord grant her a baby. She made a promise that she would give him to the Lord. So God remembered her and gave her a baby boy. Hannah remembered the promise that she made and gave the boy to the Lord.
See we as Christian women need to be like Hannah and keep the Lord first. Ok, maybe we have some kids in sports, but what comes first God or sports? GOD! So we always need to put the Lord first and keep our promises to Him. It’s ok if you miss a few services. But don’t hold back and just stop going completely! Come back and get the Lord back in your life! So remember if you make a promise to the Lord, keep it!
Do you know what JOY stand for? Jesus, Others, Yourself! I have a new goal in my life: to keep God first. What don’t you try it too? Always remember to keep God first in our lives just like Christian women should do everyday! Just keep Him first!
by Jerrica age 12
A Very Nice Lady
One of my goals in life is to be a Christian lady. We can learn from some people in the Bible how to be a Christian. Part of being a Christian is being unselfish. One of those people is Dorcus (Tabitha.) Acts 9:36-41 tells us about her. This Christian did many good works and gave to the poor (vs 36). One day Tabitha got sick and died (vs. 37). When Peter went to Dorcus’ house, there were widows holding coats and garments that Tabitha had made them. (vs 39). The widows were very sad that Tabitha was dead, because she had helped them so much. Peter had the widows leave the room and he prayed and said “Tabitha arise” (vs 40). Then she opened her eyes and sat up. In verse 41, it says that he presented her alive. We know she was a special type of person because she was known and loved for her good works. We should use every opportunity we have to help people.
By Meagen F. age 10
Dorcus
Dorcus, Dorcus, Dorcus…What do you think of when you hear her name? A kind woman? A dressmaker? A lady who followed God? What? I think of a thoughtful woman who cared for others. It even says so in the Bible! In Acts 9:36, it describes Dorcus as a woman who was abounding in “deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did.” Abounding means doing a lot of. Kindness is actions of being gentle and friendly. Charity is helping the poor and needy. And continually means doing something over and over. All of those definitions put together are a summary of Acts 9:36. My summary of Dorcas is someone who was gentle and friendly and who was helping the poor and needy over and over again.
Emily E. age 11
God’s Plans for Me
As women in this world we have many different roles that pull us in many different directions. We are wife, mother, daughter, sister, granddaughter, friend, teacher, role model, worker and so much more, no wonder we are so tired at the end of the day! Sometimes God calls us to be used in areas we never even imagined or wanted to imagine. God always has a plan for us. Sometimes His plan has nothing to do with our plans. Things happen and we later understand why and the purpose or we might never but we always have to remember God is in control.
I am not big on changes but almost 8 years ago we moved to a new town. My husband graduated college, got a new job, our son was 3 months old and I had never been this far from my family. We struggled finding a church home in college and never really felt at home anywhere. We started going to church with my brother in law and his family once we moved. We liked it and got involved as much as we could with full time jobs and an infant. With his brother and his wife we started taking the youth group to do things and being a part of that ministry. This was not something I was thrilled about, I did enjoy it but it wasn’t my thing I kept saying. His brother’s family moved and we inherited the youth group I like to say. That was 7 years ago and my husband is now the part time youth minister. I LOVED my youth group as a kid and want these kids to have the same opportunities as I had.
Being the wife of a youth minister is not what I planned on but it is the biggest blessing to our family. It has pushed us in areas that are out of my comfort zone and allowed me to be an active part of God’s ministry through many different ways. Our son has many brothers and sisters, he feels, because he has grown up being around the kids. I was also able to stay home and keep kids and this has allowed me to be able to cook meals and do things for the youth that would have been more difficult for me with a full time job. I am not only able to help out in the ministry but be a mom who was around for my son all the time. I am able to be very involved in my son’s school activities and volunteer there. I am also able to teach at our church preschool two days a week. I am blessed with many areas to be able to show God’s love through to others in many different ways.
God put everything in place so well there is no denying that this is where he wants me and my family to be. We don’t always know where God wants us to be but if we stop and focus on Him, He will let us know then we can spring into action for Him.
By Monica Squiers
Living in The Light (The Cage Series – Part 3 of 4)
You have just come through the water gate of baptism. I run to you and wrap my arms around you, hugging you tight. “Welcome Friend! I am so thrilled that you have chosen to come live in the Lord’s light. God has rescued you from the domain of darkness, and transferred you to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Col. 1:13) You are now a part of “ A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light ; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD ; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.” 1 Peter 2: 9-10 Friend, You are completely free from your cage of sin.
Now begins your childhood as a child of God, a child of the Light. (1Thess. 5:5) … Imagine for a moment that you are in a busy mall. The alarms start sounding. People start screaming. You look around and notice a bomb is ticking within a few feet of you. Someone runs to you and pushes you behind a counter, saving your life. How would you feel about that person? How would you thank that person? How would you honor that person? What if that person died because they were saving you? Could you ever do enough? … This is how I feel toward our heavenly Father and toward Christ. And what child does not love her father? Especially a father that has saved her life. I can never do enough. But I can give my love and my devotion in return.
Once a scribe asked Jesus, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God Is One Lord; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ “The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12: 28-31 We should love God with all of our self, everything we have, with every talent, every emotion, every action, every thought. This takes a lot of dedication and practice. And we will not get it right every moment of the day. But that is why God extends us his grace.
We show our love to God through our obedience. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15 By being obedient we are continuing to live in the light. Jesus also says, “I am the Light of the world ; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” John 12:8
Being in the light takes trust and faith in the Lord. There is only one way we can truly know what God expects and desires from us: we must spend time reading his word and applying it to our lives. Furthermore, we must spend time in prayer: praising him, confessing our sins, thanking him and sharing our burdens with Him. By doing these things, we are developing a relationship of trust and faith with him. James 4: 8 says “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
Being in the light, and delighting ourselves in meditating on God’s word, is like being a tree planted near streams of water, as we grow in the light our leaves will not wither, and whatever we do will prosper but first and foremost, we will bear fruit. (Psalms 1: 2-3) “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Gal 5:22 Imagine what a magnificent fruit tree you can be; Bearing fruit for the Lord. But it doesn’t stop here. We must continually “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter3:18 You should “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.” Col 1: 10-12 Being in the light is a lifetime journey of learning, growing, maturing, and bearing fruit as we are able.
One thing we must be watchful of is that we do not again fall into sinful darkness. When we are tempted, we often fall into sin. Sin can entangle us in an instant. We must remember that “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, {then} we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1John 1:5-7
We are told to “be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us.” Eph 5:1 We are also told to “Keep seeking the things above,… For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Col 3: 1-3 Furthermore, “immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.” Eph 5:3-4 We should “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.” Col 3:5 We are warned that the wrath of God will come on those who disobey. We once walked in filthy, dirty ways, but now we should “walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth ), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.” We should not “participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them” to the light. Eph 5: 8-11 “As those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, {We should} put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience ; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone ; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.” Col 3:12-13 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”Eph 5: 15-17
To sum up our goals as children of light, we should
1.“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”
2.“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body;”
3.“Be thankful.”
4.“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you,”
5.“With all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
6.“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” Col 3: 14-17
Our goals seem simple, but they take a life time to master. Some people look at living in the light as a list of strict rules, a bunch of do’s and don’ts. But serving God is an honor, a joy and a privilege. If you were asked by the Queen of England, or the Emperor of Japan, to perform for a special event or cook for an intimate family dinner, would you not find that an honor or a privilege to do so? Well we serve the greatest of Kings, everyday. From the smallest of friendly smiles toward a neighbor to the massive missionary efforts. From the daily struggles to form new habits and overcome sin to joyfully and confidently using our talents. Yes, living in the light takes effort, determination and perseverance. At times it will be challenging. But it is also peaceful. Yes you will struggle and even fall but the Lord will lift you up when you are down. (James 4:10) God will be your shelter in the storm. (Psalm 5:11-12) And He will give you solid ground to stand on. (Matt 7:24) Friend, being rescued from our dark cages of sin, is the greatest gift we have ever received. It not only frees us, but gives us the greatest blessing only He can bestow. Let us now spend the rest of our life praising him, thanking him, and serving him as we journey toward our reward in Heaven.
By Amy Ellis
Originally printed in the Summer 2011 Issue V4N3
Part 1 – The Cage and The Door
Part 2 – Walking through The Door
Part 4 – Attached to the Body