“If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching,
do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting”— 2 John 1:10
The third pig opened the door, greeted the wolf with a smile, and much to his siblings’ dismay, welcomed him right in. This enemy who had blown down their houses was now sitting at the table with them, eating what would likely just be the starter, with them as the main course.
Our house is under attack.
It could have been so easy to skip over verses like these this year. Overall
will cover about nine-hundred verses by the end of December 2025, and so why pick out the difficult ones? I’m doing so for the same reason that I’m sharing excerpts from 1-2 Chronicles down below. These are often skipped, and it is to our great detriment.Scripture is breathed out by God, for our good, that we may be complete, lacking in nothing. Therefore, we should read and study it in its entirety. Verses like these seem far more difficult than they actually are, because we are sometimes tempted to view them as being in a different category than the other scriptures. I’ve heard this verse, and others like it, painted as though it is saying we should never even speak with those we disagree with.
This is simply not the case.
John is a faithful father to many Christians and churches at the time, and as such it is his duty to protect that against those who would do them harm. Wolves weren’t just blowing houses down, they were doing so from within. These false teachers would stand in the pulpit, teaching profound mistakes and heresies that led people astray. John’s job, as one who had build his house firmly on the rock, was to safeguard against such things happening again.
We should never give the enemy a foothold that he might climb wholly into our lives.
Let’s pray.
Praying through the Bible
Lord God,
I long to walk alongside you.
Thank you for the faithful teachers you have placed in my life,
who help me to do this day by day.
Help us, your church, to turn false teachers away,
For the good of the people of God,
and the good of the world.
When false teaching wreaks havoc,
Give us the strength to rebuild,
to turn back to you, and your steadfast love.
Amen
Today’s Readings
Whether you’re ready to sit and read these now, or you think later might be a better fit, I recommend looking through your plan for the day now. If you follow this Bible reading plan, you’ll finish the whole Bible by the end of the year. We’re starting this morning with just 26 verses, across four chapters of the Bible. When will you sit down to read or listen to them?
2 John 1:9-13
Psalm 5
Psalm 6
Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim.
Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.
1 Chronicles 1:11-161
Recommended Media to Start Your Day
I love this piece from
about attending a silent catholic retreat as a protestant woman. The grace and humility she shows is matched only by those she walked alongside during her time there, and hearing all about how those bonds began and were nurtured, even in silence, did my heart some good this morning. I hope it will do the same for you.
I’m an avid home cook. I love to find new cooking methods, and flavour profiles, but more than any of that, I love to see new cooks picking the knife for the first time. Andy Cooks is a really winsome YouTuber with a great heart for beginners. If you’re starting the year hoping to cook more, or improve the skills you have, this is a great place to start.
1-2 Chronicles are two of the most overlooked books of the Bible, despite covering great swathes of history, and God’s faithfulness throughout. Each day I’ll share a short portion of these books, so by the end of the year, you’ll have read through them in their entirety.
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