Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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BELIEVING IN “CHRIST THE TRUTH”
2 John 7-11
 
Jenny Mathews

St. Andrews MTC, NY
9. Everyone who does not abide in the teaching of Christ, but goes beyond it, does not have God;
Apostle John was an elder in the church in Ephesus.  He was a leader of many churches in this region.  He wrote this letter to speak of the “truth”.  This truth is that Jesus Christ had come to earth as a man.  He was God then and is always God.  But, most importantly, He also became a man.  He died as a man so that we could come to God through Him.  He died hanging on a cross with nails drilled into His hands and feet.  This kind of suffering is something unimaginable for us!  We must believe in this truth and give our lives to Him.  The truth is to obey God.  You can think of the truth as a beautiful path full of nature’s wonders.  We would be most awed by such a path and not wander away.  In the same way, we must be in awe of God’s truth and not neglect His commands.
John asked his people to live in the truth.  Living in the truth means to love each other.  If we love God, we must love his people.  Love is the test of the truth.  One of the most important commands that  Jesus believed in is “love the Lord your God.  And you must love your neighbor as you love yourself” (Mark 12:30-31).  
John says that “many false teachers have gone into the world” (2John, verse 7).  During John’s times, men preached about Jesus as they travelled from one place to another.  Among these were some false teachers.  They acted as if they were true Christians. But they taught against the truth.  They taught that Jesus was never a real man.  Few taught that Jesus did not die for us.  Others taught that He was merely a man and refused to believe that Jesus is God.  The false teachers tried to lead people away from Christ with their knowledge and by changing the truth.  John , in these verses, warns us against false teachings.
We see false teachings all around us.  These messages may sound convincing.  If we were to believe this, we would suffer loss.  We would not be able to grow in the truth if we believe in these lies. We must believe in the truth that Jesus has given to us.  By abiding in this truth, we can live in love with each other and spread God’s word.  Each and every day of our lives, we must stay within this truth so as not to be led astray by falseness.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, watch over us each and every minute that we may be strong bearers of Your truth and spread the peace and joy that You have given us. Give us the courage to abide by Your truth that we may be a light unto Your path. Amen
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Live each minute of your life in God’s truth and your life’s journey will be filled with awe and wonder.

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