…about you? Take a moment to read 3 John (NIV) below and consider the report that John received from fellow believers about Gaius’ hospitality and love and Diotrephe’s lack of hospitality and love.
The elder,
To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it.
Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.
I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.
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. Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone-even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him and you know that our testimony is true.
I have much to write to you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.
Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.
Have you ever said, “Sure, you can come stay with me for the weekend, or I’ll host a few people from the mission team coming in?” And then, once the words come out of your mouth, your brain starts to run wild with all the things you need to do….Clean the bathroom, make the beds with fresh sheets, go buy coffee, coffee filters, I wonder if they like eggs, I wonder what kind of chocolate they like, and on and on the list goes.
And then when they leave, your brain starts again…they said they had a great time but I wonder if they’re just saying it to make me feel good, did they really feel welcome in my home, what can I do better next time and the list goes on and on.
Right in the middle of all the questioning, you get a text from your pastor, and they say, “Wow, you really knocked it out of the park! My phone just blew up asking if they can stay with you next year. Thank you for opening your home and loving on people!” Suddenly, you go from questioning to feeling encouraged, and although you are exhausted and know you have to clean the sheets and the bathrooms, you have an unexpected energy that hits you and before you know it, you’re reading your house for the next guest.
Those who stayed with Gaius reported to John how Gaius had treated them with warmth and the love of Christ while they were with him. Gaius was willing to face reprimands from Diotrephes, who apparently did not show Christ’s love to fellow believers. At least, that’s how I read it.
So, here’s the question, what is being said about you? Are your co-workers going home and talking about how you have shown them love and hospitality, or are they going home and complaining about you? Is your family always complaining about how selfish you are, or are they telling people you are there to help in any way you can? And trust me, I am not just asking you the question! Reading 3 John had me asking myself these very same questions. I want to be sure I have a heart like Gaius. Willing to show love to those around him and not a prideful heart like Diotrephes who gossiped and refused to welcome fellow believers.
If you’re unsure about where your heart is, ask the Lord. He will answer! Then, be vulnerable with someone you know you can trust and ask them to hold you accountable for how you treat people. I know he has revealed some things to me, and I am working on them!
One last note…if you are interested in opening up your home to host someone and you’re not really sure what to do, I would suggest talking with my friend Kim Tucker. She is a Gaius if ever there was one!
Wendy Roseman 