Your Faithfulness Rewards Others

“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” -3 John‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭

Every follower of Jesus benefits from the previous investment of other believers that have gone before them! In our immediate relationship circles and throughout our spiritual lineage, there have been countless people who have prayed for us, taught the Bible to us, encouraged us, modeled faith for us, have been there to answer questions or guide us in our spiritual development! You may never meet many of those people on earth, but their prayers and sacrifices passed the Gospel down to you!

As you succeed in living for Jesus and walking in His truth (v.3), it brings great joy to other believers who have invested in you and been faithful to carry the truth on so that it got to you!

Of course, we live to please God, not people, but it’s helpful to know that our faith significantly encourages other people.

When you remain faithful, it causes great joy for others and spurs on their faithfulness!

As you remain faithful to walk in the truth, your life is a witness to those before you and to those who will come after you! You have a ministry of encouragement and your life preaches a message of truth as you faithfully walk in that truth!

Keep your eyes on Jesus and know that others have their eyes on you!

The lives of others are being encouraged and impacted by Jesus as you faithfully walk in the truth!

Right on?

Read/listen to 3 John chapter 1 and Jude chapter 1 and Revelation chapter 1

Prayer focus: thank God for those who have come before you in the faith and ask Him to use you to be an encouragement to them as well as to those who will come after you

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Real Life

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” -1 John 5:11-13

A great life lived without Jesus is not truly great! It’s a short-term illusion that will end in destruction.

On the other hand, no matter how difficult life is for a believer in Jesus here on earth, the end result is eternal life in heaven!

Real life is only found in Jesus (v.12)! The path may at times look easier elsewhere or the grass may occasionally seem greener in the world, but there’s no good alternative to real life in Jesus!

Jesus offers eternal life in heaven, life to the full here on earth (John 10:10), and the opportunity to experience amazing grace, authentic love, and deeply fulfilling purpose! In Jesus, despite any difficulties you face, your best is always yet to come!

No matter how hard the journey is and no matter how distracting the world may be, never forget that the only life you really want is in Jesus! Real life is only found in Him!

Right on?

Read/listen to 1 John chapters 4-5 and 2 John chapter 1

Prayer focus: talk to God about any temptations or distractions pulling you toward the world, and thank God for real life in Jesus, regardless of what challenges you face

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One Thing That Changes Everything

“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” -1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬, ‭16‬-‭17‬

There’s one thing you can focus on that will change absolutely everything about how you relate to other people. This one decision can totally transform how you connect with others. That choice is to authentically love other people well.

The Bible tells us to be devoted to each other in love (Romans 12:10). When we genuinely love people from our heart it impacts how we talk to them, how we listen to others, how we work with people, how we live around each other, and everything else that we do with others.

Not only does loving other people well change your relationships, but it shows how your relationship with God has changed you! By placing your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you begin to be transformed from the inside. Love not only changes you, but you start to change how you love others, which is a sign that we have crossed over from death to life (v.14).

We love, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). God gave us a model of what it looks like to really love well! He so loved you that He gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross for your sins (John 3:16). And because He so loved you, you know what it looks like to so love others.

We can now give like He gave to us! We give up our time, our listening ears, our helping hands, and love in every way that we can because we want to love as He loved us!

Never forget that you are so loved by God and are called to so love others with that same love!

When you make that decision to focus on genuinely loving others well, it changes everything about how you relate to other people!

Right on?

Read/listen to 1 John chapters 1-3

Prayer focus: thank God for the way that He gave Jesus to die for your sins out of His love for you and talk to Him about how you want to follow His example by loving others well

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