SEPTEMBER 11, 2012
Imitate
The Good
Read: 3 John
Beloved, do not imitate
what is evil, but what is good. He who does
good is of God, but he who does
evil has not seen God. —3 John 1:11
Most
people would agree that life is a painful mixture of good
and bad. It’s true in
marriage, friendship, family, work, and
church. Yet we are surprised and
disappointed when self-centeredness
takes the stage within a fellowship of
those who seek to worship
and serve Christ together.
When
the apostle John wrote to his friend Gaius, he commended
the truthful living
and generous hospitality of those in his church
(3 John 1:3-8). In the same fellowship,
however, Diotrephes, “who
wants to be head of everything” (v.9 Phillips), had
created an
atmosphere of hostility.
John
promised to deal personally with Diotrephes on his next
visit to the church. In
the meantime, he urged the congregation:
“Beloved, do not imitate what is evil,
but what is good. He who
does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen
God”
(v.11). John’s words echo the instruction of Paul to the Christians
in
Rome: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with
good” (Rom. 12:21).
In
a heated conflict, we may be tempted to “fight fire with fire.”
Yet John urges
us to turn away from what is bad and follow what
is good. This is the pathway
that honors our Savior.
For Further Study
Be patient and
humble in conflicts (Rom. 12:12-21; Gal. 6:1).
Follow the
guidelines in Matthew 18:15-18
with the desire to
restore erring fellow Christians.
As light overcomes darkness, goodness can overcome
evil.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
