Three Hearts in Third John (Part 6)

The Heart of Diotrephese

The Heart of Hope and Good Report

“Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true” (3 John 1:12). There is very little known about this man as this is the only time which we read about him in the New Testament. Despite that, the Holy Spirit thought him important enough to include in the Holy Scriptures.  He is similar to Gaius in two ways.

1.       We notice that he had good report among all men.

2.      He walked in the truth.

John knew about the faithfulness of Demetrius and was willing to bear record that this was a fact. Demetrius was the type of person who had conformed his life to the teachings of the gospel and the public was well aware of the life which he lived. This is the type of Christian we should all strive to be (1 Peter 3:13-16). Do they see our good works and glorify the Father which is in Heaven? Does it give them hope that there is someone out there who is not like those in the world? Or do they see another inhabitant of the world around us? There was more which John wanted to discuss with Gaius but not on paper. He wanted to see Gaius face to face and trusted that he would have the opportunity (3 John 1:13-14).

Is this the Heart I have?

What heart do we possess? Is this a heart which is true to the standard set forth in God’s Word or a heart which strives to make its standard the one which is known? Only we can make that decision.