“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.” (3 John 3)
Does it bother you when you hear that people have been talking about you? Do you get worried when you find out that a friend from one group and a friend from another group were comparing notes about you?
You cannot keep people from gossiping or telling lies about you sometimes, but you can control who you will be. Are you faithful to the truth? Do you live as the same person no matter who you’re spending time with? Are you committed to representing God well in every group of friends?
Gaius’s friends talked about Gaius behind his back: They told John that Gaius was committed to the truth in his everyday life. As his mentor and teacher, John was thrilled to hear it. Gaius had a rep as a truth-walker.
Think: What bothers you more, that someone might lie about you or that people might find out the truth about you? How can you protect your reputation by making more truthful choices?
Pray: Ask God to help you to develop a reputation as someone who walks in the truth so that your mentors and friends will be happy when they hear about it from others.
Do: Write down one thing you can do differently this week to be more faithful to the truth.