3 John: Pt. 2 — A ‘Time With God’ Audio Devotion

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Transcript

Good morning. As you start this day, start it the right way, and that is by talking to God, inviting him into your day, putting him at the center of your life. And we do that by listening to what he has to say to us in the Bible and then responding to Him in prayer.

This week, all week we’re looking at one of the shortest books in the Bible. It’s just one chapter. It’s only 15 verses, and it forms a letter that the apostle John wrote to his dear friend Gaius.

In the letter we get just this great picture of relationships and life back then in the first century, as John writes to Gaius. Here’s what he says:

The elder, that’s John, to the beloved Gaius whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health as it goes well with your soul. For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Well, isn’t that right? In your family as a parent, no greater joy than to know your children are doing what’s right, that they’re growing in their relationship with God, that their spiritual lives are healthy, and they’re not being distracted by the things that matter so little and really end up destroying our lives. No, they’re staying on the right path, keeping God front and center in their lives.

Well, how is that going to happen?

It’s not going to happen magically. It’s not going to be some magical thing that because you go to church and your kids go to youth group – that they’re going to end up loving God in their lives. No, if you want your children to walk in the truth, you have to be active in promoting their spiritual lives, in helping them see the role that God plays in our lives when we’re committed to Him.

One of the most foundational ways to do that is to have daily family devotions, family Bible reading.

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One of the best things that happened in our family was when my wife and I decided, OK, we’re going to get up and have family devotions with the kids every morning. Well, that wasn’t too popular with the kids at first. They groaned when we told them it was time for Bible reading and that they needed to get out of bed, but it’s become now a family habit.

So, I walk around the house in the morning. I wake everyone up. Everyone staggers downstairs, and we sit down. We have a subscription to the Challenge newspaper that’s just full of stories of people’s encounters with God, and we read one of those stories each morning and then we open up the Bible and read a chapter of the Bible, and we talk just a little bit about what we learn from both of those things.

Then we find out from each other what needs to be prayed about for our day, and then we pray together.

It takes about half an hour. No better half hour could be spent in our day – investing in our kids’ world view in their relationship with God, in the way that they approach life to put God in the center of it.

And you know what.

We have so much joy because our kids are walking in the truth, and I just encourage you and challenge you today if this is your desire that you would have a godly family: that your kids would put God in the center of their lives. Don’t just hope it happens. Don’t just wish it happens. Yes, pray that it happens, but also pray with your kids. Read the Bible with your kids. Make it part of family conversation.

So that religion isn’t separated off as some weird part of their lives that only fits when they’re at church. No, make it part of everyday conversation to just talk about what’s happening in their relationship with God, what God is teaching them, how the spiritual things fit into and become actually the center of their everyday lives.

I’m John North.

To go deeper in your faith, visit AFCI.com.au.

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