2 John is so brief in words, but loaded with at least 2 imperative lessons about growing in our faith in Christ, & protecting ourselves from all things that would rob us of a sincere relationship with Christ. The first lesson is that we grow in our relationship & strength in Christ as we “walk in the Truth” (2John4, ”It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the Truth, just as the Father commanded us”; 2John6”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.”)! By the end of David’s life he had learned the hugeness of this lesson and he urges his son to learn the lesson -1Kings2:2-3”I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man. Keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn...” David had walked outside of God’s Ways many times in his life, and had learned that each time he did so it resulted in life repercussions that were far from what was best, & caused times that personally distanced him from God (not God from David!), & he wanted his son to avoid these repercussions & this walking away from a relationship with God. The bottom line of this lesson is that if we are not walking with God in TRUTH..., we are walking away from God. He does not walk away from us...we walk away from Him! A second lesson of 2John is for us to nurture True Discernment in our lives and even be prepared to defend True Discernment in and around our lives->2John7-11, ”For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far (veers far from Biblical Truth) and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.” This 2nd lesson is calling us to be Biblically Discerning about what & who we allow to have influences in our heart/mind/life...& to not be deceived. John is so emphatic about this that he says deception of any kind that does not “acknowledge Jesus Christ The Messiah as coming in the flesh are deceivers and effectively the antichrist(vs7). Remember from yesterday that the Antichrist will”.... seek world domination and will attempt to destroy all followers of Jesus Christ and the nation of Israel.” These two lessons of 2John are for us to “walk in the TRUTH”according to God’s Instructions, & as we exercise this walking in our heart/mind/life, that we also develop TRUE Discernment to leverage in all relationships and everything we hear,read,experience...&see, so we may guard our mind/heart/life for all that is BEST as only GOD Knows! Dear Lord,a failing of mine is to quickly misuse Your Discernment as a way to quickly judge others, instead of acknowledging the TRUE purpose of Your discernment as not only for my personal conviction;learning;&protection, but also in the way that You call me to love others. Dear Lord, I praise You for the huge patience You have with me...& for never giving up on me, & always waiting for me to return to walking in Your Truth and seeking Your Ways.I pray that Your Strength,Your Encouragement,& Your Discernment be ever increasingly mine as my Trust in You alone becomes more and more a part of everything about me.