Making Mom Proud

Making Mom Proud
Words of Faith 6-18-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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2 John 1
[4] It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. [5] And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love
John used a delightful literary tool to help us understand the church as a family-- a mother and her children. John was not enamored with institutional religion, but the idea that we are part of a family was compelling. How we live should honor our mother church.
Evidently, John had encountered members of this church-- "some of your children"-- and was delighted to observe their obedience to the truth. He pointed to their faithful walk in the truth as precisely what the Father commanded. To walk in the truth is to be obedient to the truth God has made known. John wanted the whole church to do the same.
Just as a child might seek to "make mom proud," or at the very least "not embarrass the family name one another. [6] And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. ," the believers of the family of faith had walked out the truth of the Gospel in obedience to God.
This was a perfect starting point for John to urge the church toward something they already knew. It was not a new command. It was the most basic command from the beginning- love one another. If there is any theme we see repeated from the heart of John the Beloved, this is it.
If there is any truth central to the heart of God revealed through the Apostle John, it was that love is the one undeniable mark that a person is walking with God. It really does not matter how much one knows, how well they preach, or what works they may achieve; if they do not love one another, it is all an empty claim. We are known to be Disciples of Christ by our love.
But don't miss this. Love is not just a warm fuzzy feeling. We love one another by walking in obedience to His commands (v.6). Love is lived out in practical obedience to Christ. A Christian who truly seeks God's best for his brothers and sisters can only do so by obeying what God has commanded him to do. Love that is undirected by God's revealed will may quickly degenerate into unwise, sentimental activity. Believers walking in the truth live in response to what God has revealed by loving each other. Brotherly love is part of the truth God has revealed and commanded.
These are the things that would make the "dear lady" proud. These are the facets of life that are noticed in a child of God that reflect powerfully upon the church.
Father God, give me grace to live in obedience to You and Your commands in Christ. Fill me with love so that I might be known for loving others. Give me mercy to share with others, but keep me from superficial sentimentalism. Shape me into the child You want me to be. Help me to reflect positively upon the Church. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.
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