2 John 1:4

The Explanation

It is evening. In a small room an old man sits bent over a table. A little oil lamp flickers. His hand is not as steady as it used to be, but he dips his pen in the ink anyway.

Everybody calls him "the elder." That means: the old one, the one who has seen much. He knew Jesus. He heard His voice with his own ears.

Now he is writing a letter to a woman he loves, and to her children. He does not even write her name. He just writes, "the chosen lady." Someone will carry this letter on foot, along dusty roads, to her house.

And what does he write? Something happy. Something that makes his old face break into a smile.

"I rejoice greatly," he writes, "that I have found some of your children walking in truth."

He had met them. Maybe on a journey, maybe at a gathering where believers came together. And he saw something in those children. They were not pretending. They were not saying one thing and doing another. They were following Jesus for real.

Now you have to know something. Those were dangerous days. Strange teachers were walking around, and the old man calls them a hard word: deceivers. They told beautiful stories that were not true about Jesus. They could talk so smoothly that you would nod along without noticing.

So when the old man met those children and heard them speak about Jesus, and saw how they lived, his heart jumped. They had not been fooled. They were still walking on the right road.

Would you have noticed the difference? It is not always easy.

What Does This Mean?

"Walking in truth" sounds like a strange thing to do. You cannot really walk in something.

But think of it like this. Imagine a path through a forest. There are lots of little side paths, and some of them lead to a swamp. Walking in truth means staying on the path that is really true, the path Jesus walked on.

It is not just knowing things. You can know that lying is wrong and still lie. Walking means doing it. Step after step. Today, and tomorrow, and the day after that.

And notice something. The old man is not angry in this letter. He is glad. God is not standing there with crossed arms, checking whether you have failed. He notices when you take a good step, and He is happy about it.

The Common Thread

Jesus once said something you might remember. He said He is the way and the truth. So walking in truth is really walking behind Jesus.

And the old man says the truth "remains in us, and it will be with us forever." It is not something that wears out, like shoes or a favourite jumper. Once God's truth lives inside you, it stays.

That is why he can also write about grace, mercy and peace. Those are three gifts, and they come from God the Father and from Jesus. Not because those children were perfect. Nobody is. But because God gives.

Later in the letter the old man says what walking in truth looks like. Love one another. That is it. Not complicated at all, and also the hardest thing in the world.

For You

Here is something small you can really do.

Tomorrow, tell the truth once when it would be easier to lie. Maybe you broke something. Maybe you forgot your homework. Say it anyway. That is one step on the path.

And do one loving thing that nobody asks you to do. Fill your brother's cup. Sit next to the child nobody sits next to.

Somewhere, someone will see it and be glad. And God sees it too.

Talk About It

When is it hardest for you to tell the truth?

Who do you know that walks behind Jesus? What do you see in them?

Praying Together

Lord Jesus, You are the truth. Help me walk behind You tomorrow, one step at a time. Make me honest, even when it is scary. And show me one person I can love today. Amen.