Friday, May 23, 2025

PT-3 “Sacrificial Love for Those Faithful to the Truth” (3 John 1-8)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/23/2025 4:37 PM

 

My Worship Tim                          Focus:  PT-3 “Sacrificial Love for Those Faithful to the Truth”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                           Reference:  3 John 1-8

 

            Message of the verses:  1 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. 2 Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. 3 For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. 4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth. 5 Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; 6 and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. 7 For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.

 

            In the last SD on these verses we looked at a quote from William Barclay who talked about the false god Zeus Xenios.  Now we know from reading the Bible that it stresses the importance of hospitality, and what the false god Zeus Xenios was suppose to do, but the true God actually did and still does.  Let us look at Psalm 146:9a which says “The Lord protects the strangers,” and then in Deuteronomy 10:18-19 we read “18 “He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing. 19 "So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.”  Now I want to look at Malachi 3:5 to show us that God indicted those who turned away aliens:  “5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me," says the LORD of hosts.

 

            John MacArthur in the following paragraph from his commentary on 3 John writes the following:  “The Old Testament relates many examples of hospitality.  Melchizedek provided Abraham with bread and wine after he returned from rescuing Lot (Gen. 14:18).  Abraham provided food for the Lord and two angels (Gen. 18:1-8), and soon afterward Lot took the two angels into his house (Gen. 19:1-3).  Laban offered hospitality to Abraham’s servant (Gen. 24:31-33), Jethro to Moses (Ex. 2:20), Samson’s parents to the angel of the Lord (Jud. 13:15), an old man in Gibeah to a Levite (Judg. 19:15, 20-21), and the Shunammite woman to Elisha (2 Kings 4:8).  Defending his integrity against the false allegations of his friends, Job declared, ‘The alien has not lodged outside, for I have opened my doors to the traveler’ (Job 31:32).

 

            Hospitality is equally stressed in the New Testament.  The general Jewish cultural view of hospitality underlies Jesus’ charge to the seventy in Luke 10:4-7

 

4 “Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way. 5 “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ 6 “If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. 7 “Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house.

 

Zaccheus extended hospitality to Jesus (Luke 19:5-7), as did the Samaritan village to Sychar (John 4:40), Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:36), another unnamed Pharisee (Luke 14:1), Mary, Martha, and Lazarus (Luke 10:38), Simon the leper (Matt. 26:6), and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:29-30).”

 

            There are more examples that I will look at in the next SD, but hospitality should always be a part of the believers walk with the Lord.

 

5/23/2025 5:03 PM

 

           

 

 

 

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