3 John 1:1,3,4 – The elder, to my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. 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 than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. (NIV)

We have had two wolf packs in town this winter. One of them has been residing in a popular walking area, which has caused concern, to say the least. So far, six dogs have been killed by these hungry predators, and I don't want any of my crew to be number seven. I am thus exercising extreme caution when allowing them to run freely along the bush trails. The dogs must always be within my sight, and my constant command is to stay close. A dog walking with its master is at almost no risk from the wolves, whereas a dog running ahead or behind, out of sight of the master, is at a high risk of attack and almost certain death.

When the apostle John heard that his friend Gaius was staying close by the truth of Jesus Christ, he was thrilled. Knowing that his children were walking in the truth as they had been taught was, in fact, John's greatest joy. Why? Because he knew that walking in the truth of Christ kept them close to the Master. The closer they were to the Master, the safer, happier, more productive, and at peace their lives would be, no matter what happened.

Similarly today, we, too, must seek to be faithful to the truth and continue to walk in it. The wolves of persecution, apathy, temptation, and the like still abide in abundance. Staying close to the Master by listening to the Holy Spirit's voice within us, reading the Word, fellowshipping with other believers, praying and praising continually in our hearts, and taking every thought captive to Christ are definite musts, for without them, we are easy prey for the predators spawned by the evil one — and who among us wants to be anyone's prey?

So today, let us take a moment to check our whereabouts. Are we walking close to our Master, the way, the truth, and the life, or are we out of sight, doing our own thing?

Prayer: Lord God, may the desire of our hearts continually be to walk faithfully in the truth, a walk that brings You, and ultimately us, too, the greatest of joy. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Lynne Phipps <lynnephippsatlin@gmail.com>
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada
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