Posts Tagged ‘health’

Scripture reading for December 7th: 3rd John 1-15

John’s third letter is the shortest book of the New Testament.  John writes this letter to a friend, Gaius, whom he loves.  John wants to encourage him in his walk with the Lord and warn him concerning an individual who is disrupting the church.

“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 to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth.  I have no greater joy that to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3rd John 2-4)  John’s personal greeting and short prayer for him showed John’s faith in God’s will for each believer.  God wants us well and living in a state of wholeness.  This is most often a fruit of walking in faith in God’s truth.  John was filled with joy at a good report from a church where he had pastored.  We know that faith and walking in truth always pleases God as well!  (Hebrews 11:6)

“Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you.  They have told the church about your love.  You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.  It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans.  We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.” John writes to encourage Gaius about his hospitality.  He evidently had hosted brothers and provided for their needs.  John says that this is the right thing to do.

“I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us.  So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us.  Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.” (3rd John 9-10)   John encouraged Gaius to imitate the good, not those who were evil.  Selfishness works division and strife in a church that must be dealt with by leadership.  Consider how to apply these scriptures today!

In this podcast Pastor John continues his summary of the book of Leviticus.

As we ponder the past week and our reading through Exodus, we are reminded in Exodus 20:8-11 of one of the reasons for keeping the Sabbath–a seventh day of rest.  God wants us to remember his pattern of creation.  He Himself set the pattern of working six days and resting on the seventh day.  No work was to be done!  It was a day holy to the Lord because He blessed it and made it holy. In New Testament times, the first day of the week was used for worship and rest in celebration of the resurrection.  The main thing was to take one day out of seven, not necessarily Saturday or Sunday.  In fact New Testament truth teaches that each day is the Sabbath day–a day to rest in Jesus!  (Hebrews 4:6-11)

I was in a prayer group with some pastors this past week and one was telling how when we older ones grew up, Sunday was really a day of rest.  Stores weren’t open and restaurants were closed.  There were no movie theaters open and no TV in those days.  The generation of our day doesn’t remember that day.  A day of rest is foreign to them.  They have no reference for the command of the Lord to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy!  I believe we would be happier and healthier if we heeded this simple plan of the Lord.  Take time to rest in the Lord and be refreshed for the week ahead!  May you rest  in Jesus Christ and his finished work each and every day!

“Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30