Anglican Daily Fountain Devotional 1 May 2024 – A Good Testimony
The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 1 May 2024
TOPIC: A Good Testimony
TEXT: 3 John 1-4(AMP)
1:1. THE ELDERLY elder [of the church addresses this letter] to the beloved (esteemed) Gaius, whom I truly love.
1:2. Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.
1:3. In fact, I greatly rejoiced when [some of] the brethren from time to time arrived and spoke [so highly] of the sincerity and fidelity of your life, as indeed you do live in the Truth [the whole Gospel presents].
1:4. I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my [spiritual] children are living their lives in the Truth.
Anglican Daily Fountain Devotional 1 May 2024 STUDY:
The third book of JOhn is one of the five letters by John the Apostle, brother of James (sons of Zebedee). He was also known as ‘John the Beloved.’ In most of his letters, he strived to extend the benevolence received from Christ to others. Thus, the beloved loved to address others as beloved (v.la).
Our text is a personal letter of John to a beloved brother in faith named Gaius. John had heard about his good testimonies among Christians and felt that such a person needed an encouragement from a church elder to continue the good works. Therefore, John did not only commend him, but also prayed a sincere prayer to quicken his weary heart. Thus he prayed, “I pray that in all things you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers” (v.2).
Ministers of God should emulate this form of encouragement from John. While desiring that every soul is saved and blessed spiritually, they should also consider the prosperity of their body and physical health conditions. Members’ temporal well-being should be considered as important as their spiritual welfare. Church members should also emulate the Christian lifestyle of Gaius – he did not announce himself to John, rather his good testimony did, even from the mouth of other Christians (v.3).
Can God depend on you for the well-being of others in the faith? Can you stand in the gap for Christ to walk in truth for the sake of the gospel (v.4)? Note that this perverse generation does not read bible again; Christians are the bible they read through our lifestyles.
PRAYER: Father; help me to be a true ambassador of Christ through my 800d testimony among people, in Jesus’ Name. Amen!
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: God says “You can hold on to the hope that I will not change what I have promised.”