Day TWELVE

BEGIN

Pray to experience joy in Christ through our theme verse:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Review the memory verse for the week:

In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10)

READ

Read and meditate on this passage today: 3 John

In this short letter the Apostle John refers to younger believers endearingly as his “children.” What gives John great joy?

3 John

¹ The elder,

To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

² 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. ³ It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. ⁴ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

⁵ Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters,  even though they are strangers to you. ⁶ They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. ⁷ It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. ⁸ We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.

⁹ I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. ¹⁰ So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

¹¹ Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. ¹² Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.

¹³ I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. ¹⁴ I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.

Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.

What does John tell his “children” they should do in this letter? How is he instructing them to “walk in truth”?

PRAY

As the Spirit leads, let these themes guide you in your prayer today:

• Thank God for dear friends such as Gaius. Thank God for your prayer partner.
• Pray that your children will walk in the truth
• Pray that you will find great joy in seeing others be faithful to Christ.

JOURNAL

What are you learning as you seek Christ’s joy?

What do you sense God is saying to you in this passage?

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SHARE

Talk with your prayer partner about what you are learning, how you are growing to experience more joy in Christ. Pray together.