Joel Kwesi Baidoo

“To my dear friend Gauis, whom I love in the truth.” (3 John 1:1, NIV) The love of God shall be shed abroad in our hearts; afterwards, friendship shall offer an avenue for us to expend the love. We must not deprive our friends of our love, and this love of ours must be in truth. Love must not be contaminated with hypocrisy or polluted with selfishness. God is love. Therefore love that is of God is pure. Apostle John’s thoughtfulness to his friend Gaius is made clear in his well- wishing: “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” Dear reader, give others the gift of your friendship, and live your life to the advantage of others. Nonetheless, no wisdom lies in aimless companionship and worthless amity. “A companion of fools suffers harm.” (Proverbs 13:20).Wrong company is inferior to solitude.

BEWARE OF THE LEAVEN OF THE PHARISEES “In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” (Luke 12:1-2) • You are warned against portraying false qualities. • You shall not be rewarded for what you succeeded in pretending to be. • Whatever you do to please God, it is from Him you shall receive your reward, and anything you do to please men, you must remember to take your reward from them. • The higher you climb the greater the temptation to make use of the leaven of the Pharisees. • We are more concerned about what we do than why we do them, but God is more concerned about why we do what we do. • Only God knows the motives with which people do what they do! • We are admonished to do all things to the glory of God. • A leader does his followers a great disservice by resorting to the