ODJ: Living Truth

August 4, 2017 

READ: 2 John 1:1-6 

The truth lives in us and will be with us forever (v.2).

Ever wanted to live like a monk? Thirty-four young adults did, accepting an offer from the Archbishop of Canterbury to embrace a countercultural, monastic way of life for ten months. From varied nations and denominations, the group formed a community that studied the Scriptures, prayed and served together. At the end of their time, one participant stated, “We’ve spent time growing in intimacy with God, learning from Jesus and listening to the Holy Spirit.”

The apostle John wrote of the importance of believers in Jesus living in communities growing in both God’s truth and love. He said that he loved others “in the truth . . . because the truth lives in us and will be with us forever” (2 John 1:1-2). This truth includes the knowledge of Christ and the importance of faithfully following His teachings, but it also means living out the very presence of God within us. As Jesus said to His disciples, “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognise him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you” (John 14:15-17).

As we come to know and love Jesus, His truth is made alive within us. And as we live “according to the truth”, we find that “love means doing what God has commanded us . . . to love one another” (2 John 1:4-6). One commentator wrote, “Love and truth originate in God. Like him, they endure without changing, and their splendour never fades.”

May we live out our faith for Jesus, aglow with the beauty of truth and love that reflects Him and His ways.

—Tom Felten

365-day-plan: Luke 11:33-54