Title
Greet The Friends By Name
Scripture
…I hope to see you shortly… Peace to you. Our friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.
(3 John 1:14)
Devotional
The last verse of the apostle John’s final epistle instructs us about friends. He first shares his desire to see his friends again. Secondly, he sends greetings from others. Then he gives an unusual directive, “Greet the friends by name.” Why do you think he gave such explicit instruction? I am sure that the apostle John had a very clear understanding of human nature. He also knew the need to love and be loved. Just read his epistles and you can clearly see his instruction on loving one another. We all desire to be loved, and we all need to love others. One of the surest ways to demonstrate your interest in others is calling them by name. Calling someone by name shows you care enough about them to know their name. It is personal, and better than a platitudinal greeting. Therefore, if at all possible, “Greet the friends by name.”