FRIDAY April 14th
2 John 1:8
‘Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.’
This to me is perhaps the stand out verse in this short letter, especially the two words ‘watch yourselves’. John cared so much for the believers that he wanted them to run the race well. Yes, I know those aren’t the words he uses, but I am sure that this is what he is saying. He could also have implied what Paul had suggested to Timothy, to fight the good fight, in other words, John had worked hard as an elder for the sake of those he had written to so that they would be able to stand firm in the faith and have lives that were built solidly upon truth, and he wanted that they would be careful to not lose everything that they had received through his pastoral care for them, therefore he says, ‘watch yourselves’. John had played his part, and it was an important part in instructing them, and he was still doing this, but the believers needed also to play their part, to ensure that they remained in that important place of abiding in God and in the keeping of his commandment.
As a pastor, especially to those at Emmanuel Pentecostal Church and of course to those from elsewhere that regularly read the devotions, can I re-echo the words of John as if from myself to you all, ‘Watch yourselves’, I care for each one of you, and my heart’s desire is that each one will run the race, or will fight the good fight, so that not one, myself included will not as John says in our text ‘lose out on what we have worked for’ but that we will all ‘win a full reward.’
There is this responsibility in that in my role as a pastor I am watching out for each one of you (that is one of the reasons why I keep expressing the desire to see us all in regular fellowship), but each one of you individually needs to ‘watch yourselves’, yes as a pastor I have a responsibility of care towards you, but at the same time you have a responsibility of care for yourselves spiritually speaking.
May God help us to be faithful in all that he has called us to and purposed us to be doing, may we be faithful in our walk of obedience toward him so that when the day finally comes each one of us will win a full reward.