3 John 5-8

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

Meditation
1. Read the passage carefully as if John is writing specifically to me.
2. What opportunity have I had recently to show someone hospitality? Or in
some way help someone who is trying to do good? How did I respond to
that opportunity? What do I notice about the motives and priorities behind
my action (or non-action)?
3. Think about some gifts I can offer to others (such as cooking, listening ear,
words of encouragement.) Write them down and go through the list with
God. Determine which gifts I am glad to share, and which ones I’m hesitant.
Now think of a specific person who would be helped by my hospitality. Ask
God what he would have me offer to this person. Be open to take this small
step toward hospitality, and see how God may change my heart as I do it.

Personal Note:
I am going on a few visits today to encourage some brothers in Christ.  I pray that may my visit encourage them to rejoice in God.

2 John

1The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth—and
not I only, but also all who know the truth - 2because of the truth, which lives in
us and will be with us forever: 3Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and
from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love. 4It has given
me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father
commanded us. 5And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but
one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6And this
is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the
beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

Meditation
1. A person who “walks in truth” lives in harmony with spiritual and moral
reality. Therefore, we walk “in the truth” if our lives are marked by holiness
and by love. The Christian life is a dynamic pilgrimage of self-giving. It is not
a comfortable resting place of self-indulgence.
2. On a scale of one to ten (with one being the lowest and ten being the
highest), how would I rank my “love quotient”? How might my friends rank
my love quotient? What is needed for me to grow in my understanding and
expression of love to others? What would my life look like if I were diligently
“walking in the truth”?

Personal Note:
The greatest command from God is that we love one another.  I need God's help in my understanding and expressing love to others.

1 John 3:18-24

18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in
truth. 19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we
set our hearts at rest in his presence 20whenever our hearts condemn us. For
God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21Dear friends, if our
hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22and receive from
him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.
23And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and
to love one another as he commanded us. 24Those who obey his commands live
in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it
by the Spirit he gave us.

Meditation
1. Read this passage slowly and carefully. Think: why can we cease to be
controlled by the internal voice of self-criticism when we love others (v21)?
2. What role does self-criticism play in my life? Do I constantly criticize myself
or do I find it difficult to receive compliments or affirmation? Explore this
with God, and talk with Him about what I discover.
3. Why does John so firmly ties loving others and freedom from self-criticism?
Ponder this connection(18-20,24).
4. Pay special attention today to my self-criticism. Jot these things down. Then,
talk to God about it. Recall what John says about loving others and selfcriticism,
and ponder it some more. Thank God and accept the “confidence
before God” (v21).

Personal Note:
I find that I struggle with self criticism that wants to condemn my heart.  Am I a good enough pastor, husband, brother...?  When I love others in action and in truth, the condemnation ceases.  The guilt and shame is taken away as I dwell in God's presence.  I can receive affirmation from others when I am convicted of my acceptance before God.  I thank God for reminding me that loving others frees me from self criticism.

Devo John 12:20-26

20Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the
Feast. 21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request.
“Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22Philip went to tell Andrew;
Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. 23Jesus replied, “The hour has come for
the Son of Man to be glorified. 24I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls
to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces
many seeds. 25The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates
his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow
me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who
serves me.

Meditation
1. What does Jesus mean when he talks about a grain of wheat dying and
reproducing itself? Then wait for Jesus to show an area of my life – a
relationship, a decision to be made, and so on – in which I am holding on to
the status quo, and not allowing him to bring growth or change. In what way
might this be destructive or suffocating?
2. Ponder Romans 12:2 “Fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the
inside out.”(the Message). What would this area of my life look like if I am to
“fix my attention on God, ” and in so doing, let go?
3. Hold hands in tight fists. Then relax them, open them, and turn palms
upward. Talk with Jesus about what a life of open hands would look like. Ask
him to show me what it means to be where he is(26).
4. Think again about the tightly held part of my life. Talk with Jesus, ask Him to
help me to let go just a little bit today, and tomorrow, …

Personal Note:
I want to let go of how other people look at me.  I want to let go of my fear and dependency on worldly treasure.  I want to let go of the fear of rejection so I can courageously share the Gospel.

Colossians 2:16-23

8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,
which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather
than on Christ.
16Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard
to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17These are a
shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels
disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have
seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have
lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held
together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. 20 Since
you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though
you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: 21 “Do not handle!
Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that
are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and
teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their
self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body,
but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Meditation:
1. In v8, Paul criticized the Colossian false teaching that is not based on God’s
revelation in Christ but the “hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends
on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world”.
2. In this passage, it was clear that the “elemental spiritual forces of this world”
refer to the rituals and rules of the Old Testament (vv16-17,20). The legalistic
false teachers were probably advocating obedience to the Law of Moses for
justification and sanctification.
3. From these basic mistakes, many wrong manifestations developed:
self-imposed worship of angels, (vv18, 23); strict adhering to rules and self-
denial (vv20-23); indulging in mystic experience it (v18); not focusing on
Christ the head, but rule and rituals of the Old Testament (vv16,19)
4. Am I aware of any false teachings of Christ’s salvation in my own faith belief
or my church or other churches? List them down and bring for a discussion
at the cell. Bring it to the pastors if still not clear.

Personal Note:
People tend to impose legalistic rules and regulations for the sake of personal benefits and protection.  There is a place for policies and regulations out of love to protect people that God treasures (ie) policies in the children ministry to protect children from being led by child predators.  There are many false teachings that I believe is stumbling people everywhere.  Examples are the prosperity Gospel, faith healing ministries where the leader had no accountability and making lots and lots of worldly treasure, Doomsday prophecy (as the time the Jesus Christ comes, no one will know, and only the father will know), etc

How can we tell whether the teaching is true or false?  If the teaching glorifies God and serves the people and not the leader, the teaching is highly likely to be true.  If the teaching leads people to question God and serves the leader and not the people, the teaching is highly likely to be false.

Mark 14:3-9

 3While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known
as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive
perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his
head. 4Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this
waste of perfume? 5It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the
money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. 6”Leave her alone,” said
Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7The
poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want.
But you will not always have me. 8She did what she could. She poured perfume
on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9I tell you the truth, wherever
the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told,
in memory of her.”

Meditation
1. When I want to give a special gift to someone I love, which kind of thing do
I look for?
2. What can I do for God that would be as lavish? Are there things that keep
me from doing it?
3. Continue to reflect on the last question. Allow the Holy Spirit to show me my
problems to be generous to God. Wait for God’s direction for me to take the
step in overcoming it.

Personal Note:
I look for things that the person would enjoy and use.  I can offer my best ability in serving God and loving and blessing brothers and sisters.  Lack of faith and trust in God kept me from doing it.  The only problem behind not being lavish and generous to God is a lack of love and trust in God.  You are the one who provides everything I own, and I trust that you will provide me with direction, with abilities to lead people to become passionate followers for you, and all the other things that are necessary.