Read 3 John 1:5–15
In the middle of this letter, John demonstrated his concern for the church by calling out a certain member who was thinking too much about himself. In our current culture, Diotrephes is not a name we come across very often. And unfortunately for this guy, we Bible readers are only likely to associate the name Diotrephes with selfishness and arrogance.
John calls him out for seeking to be first, preeminent, or esteemed, in social interactions. Jesus himself condemned the very same thing in Luke 14:7–14. There, he told a story about how much better it is to take the lowest place at the dinner table because it demonstrates humility and allows the dinner host to bring you honor if they choose to invite you to sit higher in the ranks.
You’re on day 40 of this fast. There have likely been ups and downs along the way. But for the sake of argument, let’s say it has gone remarkably well. You have seen God move, and you know you are better off than when you started. Don’t let that become a source of pride. Don’t leave this fast thinking, “Man, I have this down. I am a fasting champion.” When you pray, continue to take a humble posture before God. And the next time you decide to fast, look to God for help even more than you have before. If God wants to put you in a place of prominence for you to be a help to others around you, He’ll do that. If you try to do that yourself, you’ll fall on your face.
As we learned at the beginning of our fast, the Son of God, fully divine, humbled Himself and became a human for our sake (John 1:14). No matter how much we grow and mature, we should always seek to follow His example, and be willing to lower ourselves so that God can raise us up for His glory and the good of us and everyone around us.
Begin praying with Psalm 25:9:
“He leads the humble in what is right
And teaches them his way.”