John 1:1-15

Jesus referred to John as the greatest man that ever lived. Luke 7:28 I have also heard of people reading the gospel of John and accepting Christ.  With that in mind and adding my own personal desert of the past month, I've come to the conviction that John is my next book of study.  I have decided to approach it with no preconceived ideas and just let the Holy Spirit guide me.

John 1:1-15 New International Version (NIV)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The "Word" is another name of Jesus.  He was there at creation. It was through him that God created all that exists. I am just not realizing that God spoke creation into existence and Jesus is the "Word".  I'm not saying God created Jesus, I am saying Jesus created what God spoke.  Jesus is our light and our life.

⁶ There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

John was not the promised messiah.  He was the forerunner.  

⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

One of my children has reached the age where I am not cool.  I know she loves me, but I am an embarrassment to her.  The less I speak around her friends, the happier she is.  Even after we have not seen one another in days, she rather NOT show public affection.  It hurts.  I understand that this is a phase and I know she loves me, but it still hurts.  Now imagine Jesus.  He is the creator and his creation had no clue who he was.

¹² Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Believe and receive.  That's it and the GIFT of becoming a child of God is yours

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
¹⁵ (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”)

I have the John 1:14 reverence on my arm beneath a cross of nails.  Encircled above the cross are the words, LOVE TRANSCENDS TIME.  I wish now I had John 1:14-15. As it more accurately depicts the sentiment.  Jesus, who is with God and the Word of God, who was there at the beginning, left God to come to earth.  This is why John, who was born physically first and the "older" cousin, was able to say Jesus was before me.  John knew who Jesus was.  He knew he was the Son of God.

I am convicted of how flippant I can be with my relationship with Jesus.  I take for granted his grace and forgiveness.