18 December | EVERYONE
"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers." 3 John 1: 2
Do you think that a good Christian should be poor and miserable because the kingdom of God is not of this world? As we have just seen, John answers this question in his epistle to Gaius. The apostle wishes him well. He wants everything to go well with him.
This is also God's desire for His children. Prosperity in all things is not simple prosperity theology. It is God's desire for His children. This does not mean that all will go well for those who follow His advice.
Jesus Himself said that as long as we live in this world, we will have afflictions, but this does not nullify God's longing for His children to prosper in all things, and to be healthy enough to enjoy the blessings He has promised them.
Yet God's ultimate goal is our spiritual prosperity. "Just as your soul prospers," John says. The apostle had a special affection for Gaius. “For I rejoiced greatly,” he says, “when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth" (3 John 1:3).
The Christian life is equivalent to walking. The day you stop walking and moving forward, you start going backwards. The healthy Christian life is an ever-growing life. Gaius was a healthy Christian. He walked in the truth. As a result, his life was a source of inspiration and testimony that impacted others.
Take Action
You will only experience spiritual health if you walk, and only if you "walk in the truth"; that is, in Jesus (see John 14:6). Get to know Jesus better every day in His Word and in your life so that you can be a source of inspiration and "rejoicing" (joy), just as Gaius was.