“For I rejoiced greatly when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth.”3 John 3

The truth was in Gaius—and Gaius walked in the truth. If the first had not been true, the second could never have followed; and if the second could not be said of him, then the first would have been nothing but an empty claim. Truth must enter the soul, penetrate it, and saturate it, or else it is worthless.

Doctrines held merely as items in a creed are like bread held in the hand—useless for nourishment. But doctrine received into the heart is like food digested—assimilated, sustaining, and building up the whole person.

In us, truth must be a living force, an active energy, an indwelling reality—part of the very fabric of our being. If truth truly dwells in us, we cannot part with it. A man may lose a garment or even a limb, but the inner organs of life cannot be removed without the loss of life itself. A Christian may die, but he cannot deny the truth.

It is a law of nature that the inward affects the outward—just as the light inside a lantern shines outward through the glass. So, when truth is kindled within, its brightness soon shines in a person’s outward conduct and conversation. It is said that the food certain worms eat determines the color of the silk they spin; so likewise, the nourishment upon which a person’s inner nature feeds will tint every word and deed that flows from him.

To “walk in the truth” means a life of integrity, holiness, faithfulness, and simplicity—the natural outworking of those principles of truth taught by the gospel and enabled by the Spirit of God. We may judge the hidden things of a person’s soul by the way they manifest themselves in his daily behavior.

O gracious Spirit, let it be ours today to be ruled and governed by Your divine authority, so that nothing false or sinful may reign in our hearts—lest its corrupting power spread into our daily walk among men.