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LIVE IN TRUTH (JOHN 3:1:1-5)

REFLECTION

Living in truth is the theme for our reflection. Living in truth means believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and abiding by His teachings. In other words, living in truth mean to remain faithful to the Scripture or the Word of God. We shall reflect on the fact when we live in truth the fellowship or Church of Christ will experience joy.

Dear friend, apart from pleasing God, the fellowship or the Church of Christ is filled with joy when we live or walk in the truth. Gaius, a church elder who John commended highly for walking in the truth and being hospitable to missionaries. “To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. 2 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. 3 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. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 1:1-4). In other words, Gaius’ obedience to God’s Word had practical manifestation in the lives of other believers. Friends, to live in the truth means to live a life worthy of a child of God or a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Living in truth has two main obligations which are summed up by Jesus. “One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31) In other words, living in truth means loving God and loving one’s neighbour. Unfortunately, some of us try hard to love God but do less to love our neighbour. The equation is loving God plus loving neighbour is equal to living in truth or by the Word of God. It is easy to love God but where most of us fail is loving our neighbour. Jesus has already given us the marking scheme for our final exams that will render us worthy of the Kingdom of God. The marking scheme is found in Matthew 25:31-46, where Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ (Matthew 25:31-36). John observed that Gaius lived by example by living or walking in truth as a believer and a church elder for that matter when he commended him saying, “Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church about your love. (3 John 1:5-6) Gaius was found a faithful believer because he demonstrated love by being hospitable to missionaries and strangers.

Beloved in the Lord, what report are people giving about you as a Christian in your family and community? What are your church members saying about you? What are your congregants saying about you as pastor, catechist or presbyter? What are your group members saying about you as group leaders? I believe we all want good commendations. We are greatly challenged by the example of Elder Gaius to live by the truth or walk faithfully in the Word of God so that we make the other happy. According to Matthew 25:31-36, when God is pleased we are greatly rewarded when obey His commandment by loving our neighbour or the people we fellowship with and also meet on paths daily. We are greatly admonished by James that “whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. (James 1:25)

In summary, we have discovered that God is pleased and the Church is filled with joy when we live in truth or abide by the Word of God. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says (James 1:22) Shalom.

PRAYER

Holy Spirit, strengthen us to love God and one another by living in the truth. May our obedience to the Word of God bring peace and joy to ourselves and others we fellowship with. Amen.