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3 John 1:2 says; “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth“

In John’s epistles of first, second and third John, he talks thoroughly about the love of God and encourages us to express this love to all and sundry.

Infact, he is clear of the fact that without this love, we cannot call ourselves children of God because we do not know Him (1 John 4:8).

The apostle John goes on to give deeper revelations on the love of God and in the second verse of his letter to Gaius and says that he wishes above all things that he (Gaius) will;

1. Prosper
2. Be in health and
3. As his soul prospers

Ultimately, as a Christian who is doing well with the church he as been assigned to of whom a good report had been received by the apostle John, one is easily inclined to think that like the apostle John indicated, his life is all spiritual, the point where God cares about.

But here, we get to see that God actually cares beyond that. He actually wishes that you and I prosper in other critical things; prosperity (financial) as well as health.

The Church has always and will always need resources of Christians not just in the form of time and commitment but also some money to get things going. When Jesus Christ told Peter that what belongs to Caesar must go to Caesar and that of God’s to God (Mark 12:12-17) , it was in relation to the payment of tax, something he made sure Peter paid for by giving him a direction on where to get the money.

It tells us that God cares about our financial lives and wishes that we will fulfill the financial obligations of our lives such that we will not be under any undue suffering.

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Again, we see an instance of money come up in the parable Jesus tells of a master who travelled and gave some talents to his stewards. Upon his return and seeking report on the talents, the master was happy with the servants who were able to invest and multiply their and was displeased with the one who did nothing with the money.  

In his prayer that Gaius will “be in health”, the apostle John is essentially saying that he wishes for Gaius to be healthy at all times. Indeed, in the said scripture of 3^rd John, the apostle John commends Gaius for the good things he does of which he had received reports of and admonishes him to continue. The point here is that a sick Gaius will rather need visiting and not be able to do what he does for the Lord fully. Imagine that he is sick and bed-ridden; he would not be able either to get up, come to church and meet someone at the gate with a smile and say “welcome to church” or tell someone with a smile “God loves you”.

Good health; the prayer of Apostle John can therefore be regarded as a possession of the sons and daughters of God.

Christ teaches that He is the true vine and that all the branches that do not bear fruit (unhealthy) will be cut-off by his father (John 15:1-2). This implies that our health generally affects our Christian walk and may be a key propellant in how vibrantly we carry out our duties as followers of the cross. This does not however mean that anyone who is not in the best of  health is despised by God and unimportant; this is just a reinforcement that as Christians we should pay close attention to our health because our bodies are the temple of God. Hence, as much as we can, we should do our best to ensure that our bodies, hearts and minds are hospitable to the Holy Spirit just as we strive for our earthly homes to be.

What you have to do?

Firstly and most importantly, surrender wholly every aspect  of your life to the Lord. One thing we must take note of as Christians is that we not only have the opportunity to surrender our souls to Christ because He cares about everything of ours. We need thus to present everything pertaining to us to even as  He leads us to live lives that are always a blessing to others and will bring them to the saving knowledge of Him. .

Lastly, do our parts as humans to maintain a healthy body and mind. There are so many resources nowadays which provide adequate information on how to achieve this goal and as the Bible clearly tells us “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge my people perish”[Hosea 4:6]. Let us enrich ourselves with wisdom while praying to God for discernment while we decide on which of the various options work best for us. The key to living a healthy life is not a once size fits all approach; learn about yourself and apply what best works for you with guidance from the holy spirit.

Once again beloved, give your all to Christ today; Body, Spirit and Soul.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.