“Dear friend, don’t let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God’s children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God.”
3 John 1:11 (NLT)
John wrote this short letter to his dear friend Gaius, a man known for living out the truth. Though John hadn’t seen his actions firsthand, word of Gaius’ faithfulness spread so widely that it reached back to him. Gaius welcomed traveling ministers, cared for them like family, and gave generously to those doing God’s work. His hospitality became the evidence of his love for God.
But not everyone in the church was walking that same path. John called out Diotrephes—a man who loved to be first. He rejected authority, slandered those doing good, and even pushed faithful believers out of the church. It’s a sobering reminder that those who love to lead often shouldn’t. Leadership without love leads to harm, not help.
John’s words to Gaius still speak to us today: don’t let bad examples in the church influence your faith. Keep following what is good. When we practice what’s good, we reveal who our Father is. When we practice evil, we show that we haven’t been in God’s presence. Our fruit always tells the truth about our source.
We follow what’s good by being fathered by God—by letting Him teach us, mold us, and lead us through His Word and His Spirit. That’s how we stay faithful when others fall away. That’s how we keep loving when others stop. Stay close to Him, keep serving, and don’t waver. God sees your faithfulness, and He will take care of you.