3 John 1 --- The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.
Whom I love in truth. We couldn't move further in our 3 John journey until we really dove into this territory. I realize this was something we explored in 2 John as well, but the Lord just really highlighted it again.
What is truth?
I know this age-old question has been and will be debated among the world forever. So as a Christian, I direct this to myself and my brothers/sisters who believe, what is truth? Our answer to this question will determine a whole lot. It's also a question each of us must answer individually. We may know the proper "Christian" answer but that doesn't mean we've truly settled it inside ourselves quite yet.
John 14:6 --- Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 1:14 --- And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son[a] from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:17 --- For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Psalm 119:160 --- The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.
James 1:18 --- Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
John 17:17 --- Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
So here are a few verses where we find God's Word in the Bible telling us where and what truth is. It is Jesus, who happens to also be The Word. We see it clearly, truth is the Word.
Now the world of course can and will argue it all day long, philosophically, scientifically, theologically, etc… What is truth… is it absolute… is it relative… is there no spoon… (lol, sorry Matrix joke).
For the Christian however, if Jesus and the Bible are not Truth, then why are you a Christian and what exactly is it you believe?
Furthermore, if you believe Jesus and the Bible are Truth, do you KNOW Him, do you KNOW the Word, do you KNOW what that Truth directs and commands?
Then finally if you believe Jesus and the Bible are Truth, are you responding in awe and obedience to all it says?
Love God with all that you are, Love others as you love yourself. Love one another as Jesus has loved us.
You see true, genuine, biblical love cannot exist apart from truth. Which makes perfect sense when you KNOW Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. If you aren't immersed in and abiding in the Word, In Jesus, then you cannot be obedient to the greatest commandments that were pointed out by Jesus himself:
Matthew 22:37-40 --- And Jesus replied to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’ The whole Law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.”
Sure, you can love God and love others all day long, but you cannot love them with the selfless, sacrificial love we're called to use. We just don't have it in us.
So, the next time you go to love God, your spouse, kids, church family, neighbor you like, are you loving them from a heart full of Jesus, Truth, and His love OR from your love that consists of your own strength, feelings, and emotions, all of which can change in an instant depending upon the circumstances, pressures, and storms in life?
That's just loving those who love you or maybe mildly like you. How can you ever even attempt to love (agape love) the neighbor you don't like, the panhandler at the red light, the rude drive thru order taker, the rude guy who gave you the wrong order at the window, the person who cut you off, etc…???
If we're being honest, we can barely muster up the strength, feeling or emotion to love them and we ABSOLUTELY expect someone to recognize or pat us on the back for it when we do. This is FAR from the selfless, sacrificial love we're commanded to love one another with. Just note the trend of social media videos of people giving homeless people money or makeovers. That's great and wonderful, but the center of that love is selfish, look at me and how good I am... Again, great act, but not genuine love.
Okay so what's the point?
The point is to genuinely love someone, we must love them in TRUTH. Which means we MUST be abiding in Jesus, in the Word to truly, fully LOVE! When it's just our love, no matter how much we love and feel that love, it is simply not the most genuine, perfect, beautiful, selfless, commanded, love we can give.
When I love my precious, beloved Amanda, I want it to be with the fullest, greatest, most wonderful, perfect, true, real, genuine, full force love there is and I know me enough to know, on my absolute best day I couldn't give her even a single grain of sand against the whole world's sand, compared to the infinite, selfless, love of God. I need Him to love her the way she deserves and the way I'm commanded to. So how much more do I need His love to love others?
That's all for today. Be the Berean. Go search the Word yourself and see what God has for you in all of this!
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