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2 John 1:5-6, And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

John’s second letter is the second shortest book in the New Testament.  John clearly wants to encourage his followers and motivate them to action.  He wants them to love each other, walk closely with the Lord, and avoid false teachers. 

This book and 3 John are the only books in which John refers to himself as the elder.  This connotates his position in the community and his relationship to the listeners.  By this point, he was older but the term itself most likely points to his authority in the church.  Interestingly, the recipient of the letter is “the chosen lady and her children.”  This wording has led to all kinds of discussion in the scholarly literature.  Is this a specific woman John is referring to?  Most likely, no.  John is probably referring to a local church and its members.  The term “chosen lady” would have been one of respect and admiration.

The focus verses for today really get to the core of John’s message to the church.  First, love one another.  What does love look like?  When we walk in obedience to God’s commands, when we live in truth and do what God called us to do. 

Two words for today:  LOVE and TRUTH.  We love God when we obey him and live his truth in meaningful ways.  Part of this obedience is loving others.  Love of God and love of others cannot be separated.  They are intricately linked.  Over and over again, John is making this point.

How are you living God’s truth?  How are you loving others?  This is not an either/or proposition.  It’s a both/and command.  This is hard stuff, my friends.  I think we need some prayer…

Lord Jesus, How we need you!  We do such a bad job holding truth and love together.  Help us be people of truth AND people of love in all we do.  Provide openings and opportunities for us to share your love with someone today!  Amen.