Live according to God’s truth and grow spiritually. Gaius knew this truth. He studied the Scriptures and applied them to his life. It is always good when we practice what we teach. We are children of God and are called to worship in the Spirit and truth. The way Gaius lived his daily life reflected his faithfulness to God and the truth; we could say that He walked in the truth because people who knew him gave testimony to his “Truth Walk”.
Specifically, John says to Gaius, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth" (3 Jn. 1:4). When we do what is right, somebody will tell somebody what we did. Gaius listened to the teachers who came to him with the truth. As a child of God and prisoner of the Lord, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord so you may please Him in every way.
John reminded him of what people told him, in essence, being a witness for and to his friend, saying thus: "Dear friend, you are being faithful to God when you care for the traveling teachers who pass through, even though they are strangers to you" (3 Jn. 1:5). He walked the “Truth Walk”. That meant that his decisions about what he said and did were determined by the truth of God’s Word.
The life he lived was not mediocre. He had a rewarding relationship with people, not based on fake love or social responsibility. Gaius’ faithfulness is lauded by many witnesses, far and near. John said to Gaius, "They have spoken to the church here about your love. Please help them to continue their trip in a way that will please God" (3 Jn. 1:6). So, how can we live the type of Christian life that Gaius lived and modeled for others to see and emulate?
First of all, like Gaius, we study God’s Word and learn the truth until we understand it; then we relearn it so we can walk in it. As we age and the world changes, we look for ways to apply the truth of God’s Word to our lives. Our decisions as a spouse or parent are made as we walk in the truth. What we do at work, how we act on vacation, and what we say to others reflect the truth we believe. We apply God’s Word to all the situations of everyday life, and that is walking in the truth as John declared to Gaius.
From this basic idea, Christians learn to walk in the truth, and we see a need for well-trained pastors and teachers. Rarely do we have traveling preachers and teachers like those who instructed Gaius. In our time, we gather ourselves into congregations. We attend Sunday School and Bible Study to learn how to walk in the truth and have our being in the service of Christ.
Minister Nettie Pennington, Associate Minister, Springfield MB Church
