Morning By Morning #333

It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth.

3 John 3

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

John addressed his letter: “To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth” (3 John 1). The truth was in Gaius and Gaius walked in the truth. And if the first part of that were not true, the second part could never have occurred; and if the second part could not be said of him, the first part would have been a mere pretense. Truth must enter into the soul, penetrating and saturating it, or else it is of no value. Doctrine accepted simply as a matter of a system of belief is like bread in one’s hand, providing no nourishment to the body whatsoever. But doctrine accepted by the heart is like digested food that through assimilation sustains and builds up the body.

Truth must be a living force, an active energy and indwelling reality in us, a part of the underlying structure of our being. And if the truth is in us, we cannot lose it in the future. A person can lose a garment or even one of his limbs, but his inner parts are vital and cannot be torn away without complete loss of life. A true Christian can die physically, but he cannot deny the truth.

It is a natural law that the inner parts affect the outer body just as light shines from the center of a lantern through the glass. Therefore, in the same way, when the truth is kindled within us, its brightness shines forth in our outer life and conversation. Just as the food of certain worms colors the silk cocoons they spin, the nutrients upon which mankind’s inner nature lives colors every word and action proceeding from within him.

Walking in the truth, therefore, leads to a life of integrity, holiness, faithfulness, and simplicity. It is the natural by-product of the principles of truth the gospel teaches and which the Spirit of God enables us to receive. Thus, we are able to judge the secrets of a person’s soul by the manifestation of the truth in their life and conversation.

May it be mine today, O gracious Spirit, to be ruled and governed by Your divine authority, so that nothingfalse or sinful may reign in my heart lest it extend its deadly influence to my daily walk before others.

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

Whether in his gospel account or in his epistles, the primary focus of John’s writing was truth. Of course, it was in John 14:6 where Jesus was equated with truth itself, for He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Thus, since He is the truth, it would be appropriate to say, in essence, “No one comes to the Father except through [the Truth].” In fact, James says, “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth” (James 1:18).

Furthermore, we could say that walking in the truth is equal to walking with Jesus Himself. This emphasis on the importance of our walk is quite evident in John’s letters. In 2 John 4 he said, “It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us.” And later in 3 John 4 he reiterated that thought by saying, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

Father, may I bring You great joy as I walk in the truth of Your Son.