Today's devotion: 3 John 1:9-11

"I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church." ~ 3 John 1:9-10

The third letter of John was written to Gaius. In verse 9-10, John mentioned about the unrighteous things that Diotrephes, someone with authority in the same church as attended by Gaius, had been doing.

Many of the church leaders have been observing how their flocks are doing. When unrighteous doings are carried out in the church and are identified, good leaders will stand up and speak about it for the strengthening of everyone in the church, rather than to keep quiet in order to protect their own position of authority.

However, when we speak out, do we often do it in order to build and strengthen one another, or to take the mistake of others as an opportunity to show that we are good? Let's see what did John do after addressing the mistake of Diotrephes:

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. (3 John 1:11)

John further reminded Gaius to follow only the good examples and continue to be strong in God, instead of causing divisions between the church and Diotrephes.

Many times, we see what our brothers and sisters have done wrong, but we react wrongly by condemning them and indirectly trying to show how good we are for not doing the same wrong deeds as them. Again I say this, that we should not condemn one another but build and strengthen each other. Everyone may make mistake, including ourselves.

Thus brothers and sisters, let us together imitate what is good and not what is evil. For remember, for every time we choose to do evil, we are telling the world that we do not know God (3 John 1:11 NLT).