BELOVED OF THE LORD

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.(3 John 1:2)
Dear friend, do you know it is the heart of God that you should do well and prosper in every area of your life? This is what John the Apostle says in the Bible, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John 2)।John was a disciple of Jesus Christ who was very close to Him. Among the twelve disciples, John was considered His favourite. It was he who leaned on the bosom of Jesus Christ (John 13:23, 25). Because of the close fellowship he had with Jesus, he knew what was in the Lord’s heart. Dear friend, the world may despise you or even your parents may forsake you. But Lord Jesus loves you and by no means will He cast you out. He loves you very much and that is why He calls you tenderly, “Dearly beloved.” Many years ago, a pastor consented for an orphanage to come up in the pastoral grounds. The pastor and his wife were quite old and were without children. That perhaps was why they loved children all the more. The elderly couple would visit the orphanage and spend some time with the children which gave them happiness. They grew fond of a little boy there and named him Danny. They showered all their love upon him. Days rolled by. Suddenly there came a time when the orphanage had to be relocated to some other place. The elderly couple was very sad. They could not bear the thought of Danny going away from there. They met the Orphanage in charge and said, “We love this little fellow very much. We would like to adopt him as our own son and take him home".The Orphanage- keeper consented to that. The pastor and his wife took home Danny as their own son and showered all their affection on him. The congregation too loved Danny as their pastor’s son. Years later, the pastor and his wife passed away leaving Danny all alone. The church members said, “Dear brother, You are our pastor’s beloved son and we will love you like our pastor and his wife did. You be our pastor and stay here. You are our beloved!"Ephesians 1:5 says,“…having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.”“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" (Ephesians 2:19). The above cited verses assure us that we are not alone in this world. We have a God, to whom we are the beloved. Every good thing will follow you in abundance. Prayer:Loving Heavenly Father,I praise that it is Your will for me to prosper in every area of my life. I praise and thank You that You have predestined me as the son/daughter of Lord Jesus. Father, fill me with joy, happiness and peace abundantly. Let Your grace and love follow me all the days of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray.Amen.

- Dr. Paul Dhinakaran