Published 1/6/20
Read John 1:1-5
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
Reflect
What is meant by "the Word was God"? How does the light shine in the darkness?
Although I'd grown up in a mainline church and answered an altar call at age twelve, I had wrestled with questions about faith and Christianity for years, and the countless sermons I'd sat through hadn't addressed the many issues I wondered about, like: Are heaven and hell really real? Is God a good God? If He is real and He's good, how can I really know Him? Does He hear our prayers and answer them, or is it just a religious exercise we're supposed to do? Is the Bible true or just a great book of stories? Is Jesus God or just a great man we are to emulate?
So many times with great intentions I'd started the daily Bible readings recommended by my pastor, especially after mountaintop experiences at camps, concerts, and events, only to have them become dry and lifeless after a few weeks.
Yet God, who meets us right where we are and pursues us because He loves us, even when we are still sinners, saw the yearning in my heart. He saw my pain and confusion and my longing to know Him, and began drawing me back to Him. I sensed the Lord nudging me into His Word.
I started with the book of Matthew, the first book in the New Testament, and read it page after page, chapter by chapter, day after day, just as I'd read so many books before. I finished Matthew and moved on to the book of Mark, and then Luke, and then John ... not missing a chapter or verse.
As I read the Gospels, the lights went on. It was as if scales fell from my eyes and they were opened so I could comprehend the truth.
That word ... that is, Jesus.
He was with God from the very beginning.
He created everything! Nothing was created except through Him.
In Him, in Jesus--is life, and His life is the light of all humanity.
I was stunned by the truth of those words as I realized Jesus wasn't just in the past, but is now the Living Word, that He is alive in His Word, speaking to hearts today just as He did when He walked the earth. He is the Light who came into the world to bring us out of darkness into His marvelous Light.
Pray
Lord, thank You for being patient with me--for pursuing me and bringing me closer to You. Amen.