3 John_1

Scripture

3 John 1:5

Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you.

 

Observation

John the apostle continues to offer encouragement to many different people. This time he gives encouragement to Gaius by letting him know that his struggles he is facing for others is worth it, and to therefore stay diligent and strong. He even later refers to these “strangers” as friends near the end of the passage, as if encouraging Gaius to get to know the ones he is in ministry with.

 

Understanding

Be patient and steadfast, God places you in a specific place for a reason.

I recently had a conversation with a good friend of mine that really got me thinking. It went a little like this:

“We’ve known each other for a long time now…” *awkward silence on my end as I tried to figure out where she was going with it* She continued despite my silence, “It’s just that in all the time I’ve known you, I feel like I have changed a lot, and you… well you haven’t changed at all.”

“Well, do you think that’s a good thing or a bad thing?” I questioned.

Then she hit me with something that kinda stung, she replied with: “I feel I know everything I need to know about you, but you don’t know the ‘new me’ at all, I’m practically a stranger to you.”

How could one of my best friends change that much in the span of maybe 1.5 years to the point that she was past my recognition? How could I be so unprogressive that time stood still for me and my personality?

Honestly, I viewed unchanging as a bad thing, I saw myself as boring and unenthusiastic. Then I read “you are faithful in what you are doing… even though they are strangers to you.” Yes, I haven’t changed one bit, except I’ve grown in things unseen. My root system has dug deeper into the earth and where my friend didn’t see growth, God saw faithfulness. I was reminded by this passage that I am not done with her or others in my life yet, even if they have become complete strangers to me.

God hasn’t placed us in a certain place by accident or coincidence, He did it with a certain assignment in mind for us. Trust me, I know that sometimes it seems like our prayers or words to certain people aren’t getting through, but I promise God celebrates and rewards those who remain in Him. He even says that if we remain in Him, we will bear much fruit (John 15:5), meaning we can’t fail! So be patient!

 

Life Application

Stay connected to the source that gives you continuous strength. Develop a system that cannot be uprooted.

As Michelle said yesterday, when we cannot recognize false doctrine if we do not know the Truth of God’s Word. In this sense, we cannot understand who we are in Christ or are worth if we do not stay connected to the source that provides an assurance to who we are. Keep moving forward, invest in people even they don’t reciprocate it all the time. A practical way we do this at DSC is our PII cards. Be in a constant state of

Praying for a few people that you would like to see come to know Christ.

Investing in their lives with acts of kindness.

Inviting them to church or church events (like the Family BBQ).

God rewards our faithfulness, but only if we are steadfast enough to remain in Him and His people.

-Allison Khan