Love for the fullness of joy in others.

2 John 12 Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that your joy may be made full. Face to face communication is certainly the best way to love someone. Don’t you agree? I’m glad we have telephones (John could not have imagined such communication) and texting, messaging, and emails. However, none of those methods of communication are more effective than face to face interaction. I’m sure John was grateful that he could write a letter to this sister church, but speaking with them in person was way better. Notice the reason John wanted to come to them and communicate more on this subject of the truth in Christ. It was that their joy might be made full. He was thinking of their highest good, wasn’t he? He loved them. He wanted them to experience their greatest satisfaction in life in and through Jesus. I think John wanted to share more about what Jesus had told them (the disciples) about living to love with Him. Listen to what Jesus said after giving them the new commandment to love in John 13:34, to believe in Him in John 14:1, telling them of His going to the Father and sending the Holy Spirit in John 14:16 so they could abide in Him and He and the Father could abide in them (14:23) so they could carry the fruit of God in their lives (John 15:8). “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full” (John 15:11). John was expressing the love of Jesus to his readers. He was living to love with Jesus. There’s no better way to communicate the love of Christ and the promises of God than person to person. I don’t mean that we shouldn’t communicate the gospel good news in other ways, but John was prepared to expend energy, time, and probably finances for their sakes. Let this encourage us to, if at all possible, minister to people in person for their fullness of joy in Jesus.