Taking the Time To Bless

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) 
 
The last of John’s short letters provides a great example for us to replicate. What a word of blessing to Gaius! Just think; an entire book in the Bible was written to encourage one man! By doing so, it urges us to be encouragers. John was telling Gaius that his relationship with him developed because of his love for Christ. Have you considered how many people are closer to you emotionally than some members of your own family? How could that be? When someone loves Christ like you love Him, and you are involved in their life as deeply as they are involved in yours, deep love and respect are developed. That’s a powerful thing! 
 
Second, John blessed Gaius by letting him know that the word was out about his behavior and it was all good! He caught him doing something wonderful, and John wanted his friend to know what a blessing it was to him personally. Gaius was actually living out what he had been taught. Many people knew it and word eventually spread to the one who taught him to live in Christ. John was applauding him.  
 
How about you? Is there someone in your life who you especially appreciate because they are living for Jesus? Their faithfulness and consistency over the years shine like a beacon on your dark nights. Quietly, they have served Christ, not to be noticed, but actually to serve Him with joy. Because they have served, it makes you smile even now when you think about them. Do you have that person in mind? If so, write them a letter, send an e-mail, or send a text message. Put it in print right now before you miss this moment to encourage another person whose lifestyle of love has encouraged you. John did that and so can you! Write on!
Posted in
Posted in , ,

1 Comment


Betty Jane Laughlin - July 16th, 2024 at 7:59am

I will do that

Recent

Archive

 2024

Categories

Tags

Kingdom abandoned abandoning abandon ability abondoned acceptable acceptance accepted accepting accept accomplishment accomplish accordance accountable acknowledge actions activity addiction admitting admit adoration advancing advice affection affirmation afraid aligned aligning align alive allowedd allowed allowing allow almighty altered amazing amount anxiety anxious appeared appearing apply approaching approach argument arrogant assurance assures assure attend attention attentive attitude audience authority banished baptized beaituful behaviors behavior beieve beliefs belief believed believeibng believerrs believers believer believes believe believing belong benefits biblical blend blessed blesses blessings blessing bless blossomed bond brokenhearted burdens burden burial buried capable careful cares care caring carving celebrate challenges chance change changing charges charge churches church claiming clarity climate combat comfortable comforting comfort commanded commandment commands command commitment committed communicate communicating communion community companionship companion compared comparing comparisons compassion competition complete complicated compliment comprehend compromised compromise concerned concerning concerns concern confessed confess confidence confident conflicts conflict confrontation confronting confused confusion connected connection connect consider consistent contact contentment content context contradict control conversation convicting conviction convict convinced convince corrected correcting courageous cover created create creation critical crucial crucified crucifixation crucify culture cure curiosity customers daily death decided decide declaration dedicated defend deflection deliberate delivers denomination denying departure depression describe description deserved deserves deserve desie designed desired desires desire desiring desrtuction destiny determine devastated develop devotional devotion dictates dictate difference different difficult directing direction directly direct disappeared disappoint disciples disciple disconenct discouraged discovered discover discuss display disruptions distance dividend educated education effort eliminated embrace embracing emotional emotions emotion emplower employer empower encoraged encounter encouraged encouragement encouragers encourages encourage encouraging encouragment endured endure energy engaged engagement engage engaging enjoyed enjoys enjoy enouragements enslaved ensure equation equip eternal eternity ethical evaluate everlasting evil example excited excitement exciting excluded expand expectations expectation expected experiences expression express extended faithfully faithfulness faithful faith family famous favor fearful fear feelings feeling fellowship finisher finish fire focused focusing focus followed followers follower following follow fooled forgave forgiveness forgiven forgive forgiving fortunate forward foundation founders freedom free freidnships fresh friendship friends fulfilled fulfillment fullness future gathering gave generation generosity generous genuine gifts gift given givers giver give giving glady glad glimpse glorfiy glorified glorify glorious glory godly goodness gospel goverment grace gracious grateful gratitude grave gravity grieve grope growing growth grow guidance guided guides guiding guilty guilt handling happiness happy hardship healed healing health heal hearing heartbreak hearts heart heaven help hesitate holy honest honorably honored honoring honors honor hoped hopefulness hopeful hopeless hopes hope hoping horror humanity humbly identified identify identity ignited ignorant ignore imagine immature impacted impactful impact impatient importance important including inevitable influence information inherent innocent inspiration inspired inspires instance instant intended intensity intentional intentions interceding interesting interest interpretations intimately intimate intrude investment invitation invite itimacy journey joyful joy justifying knowing knowledge known laborers labor leadership leaders leader leading lead leaning learning learn legacy lonely longing lordship loved loves love loving manipulate marriage married mature mediator meditate meditation membership members memeber memorable memory merciful mercy message mindful minds minister ministry miracles miracle miraculous missing mission moment motive moun notice nourished nourishment obedience obedient obey obligation observer observe offering operate opinions opportunities opportunity oppressed outcome overcome overcoming overpowered overpower overwhelmed overwhelming ownership painful parenting partnership passage passing passion pastors patient peace peae perception perfectly perfect perform perishing perish persecuted perseverance personally personal perspective plan pleasing political pondering positioned position possibility powerful power praised praises praiseworthy praise praising prayed prayerful prayers prayer praying pray preached preachers preacher preaching preach prepared prepare presence present pressure prevent pride primary principle probelm problem process proclaim produce productive promised promises promise promote prosperous prosper protecting protection protect proud proved prove provides provide providing provision purify purity purposes purpose pursuing raises raise realized realize realizing reassured rebelling rebellion receive recieved recover recuperation redeems redeem redemption redemptive referring reflection refuse reignite rejected relationships relationship religion religious remedy remember remembrance reminds renewal repeated repentance repent represent resisted resisting resist resolution respect responsibility rest resurrection retreat return reveals righteous ritual royalty running sacrifice safest safe salvation satisfied satisfies satisfy saved save saving scriptual scripture secured security seeking seek selfish sensitive seperated seperate seperation sermon servants servant served server serve service serving shame shaping share sharing showed significance silence silent sinful sinless sinners sinner sin solve soul speaking speak spiraling spirirt spiritually spiritual spirit spread srve stability standards standing strengthen strength stressed stressful stress strong struggles struggle struggling submit substain successful success suffering supply supported supportive support surrendered surrender surrounding surround survived talents teachable teachers teaches teachings teach tears temptation tempted testify thoughtful thoughts through thrown together tolerance tradition translation treat trouble troubling true truly trusted trusting trustworthy trust truth trutyh unbelievers uncomfortable understand unshamed utilize validation valuable values value verbally victory violated vulnerable waiting wants watchful willingly willing wisdom wise witnessed witness wonderful wondering wonder worried worrying worry worshipping worship worthy wrath