Today’s Reading:  John 1:1-18

Jesus.

My Savior, my Redeemer, my LIFE.

Jesus.

My Counselor, my Comforter, my LIGHT.

Jesus.

My King, my Best Friend, my LOVE.

Jesus.

Now that we have completed the Old Testament and studied the prophecies of the Messiah, it is time to look at the life of Christ.  As we start our study of the gospels, I pray that the Spirit reveals something new to each one of us and increases our understanding of our Savior’s love for us.  

Life, light and love – three powerful words that describe the difference Jesus Christ makes in our life.  These three gifts from God are made possible by the presence of Christ in our life, the presence of the Word.  

In the beginning the Word already existed.

The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He existed in the beginning with God.

God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

The Word gave LIFE to everything that was created, and his life brought LIGHT to everyone.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. – John 1:1-5

Jesus gives us LIFE.  

He was there in the beginning when life was created.  In fact, all life was created through Him because He is the One who gave life to everything that was created.  We would not be here, we would not experience physical life, if it were not for Jesus – the Word.  But we would also not experience a rebirth or a second gift of life if it were not for Him.

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him.  He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.  But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.  They are reborn – not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. – John 1:10-13

Jesus gives us LIGHT.  

Just as God spoke light into existence at creation, Jesus brought light when he came into the very world he created.  Jesus – the true light – came into a world that had been darkened by sin in order to cast His light into the world He created.  

…His life brought light to everyone.  The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it…The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. – John 1:4-5,9

Jesus gives us LOVE.  

When He entered the world of darkness full of unfailing love and faithfulness, He gave us blessing after blessing from the abundance of His love.  Before this time, God’s people had experienced the love of their Creator who had faithfully cared for them but it was through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, that God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came down so close you could see it!

So the Word became human and made his home among us.  He was full of unfailing LOVE and faithfulness.  And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son…

From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.  For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen God.  But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart.  He has revealed God to us. – John 1:14,16-18

LIFE, LIGHT & LOVE – we will experience all three of these today but it is our choice whether or not we acknowledge the presence of these gifts in our life.  Today I can choose to recognize God’s blessings in my life that overflow from the abundance of His unfailing love and faithfulness, or I can focus on the loud cries of the darkness that try hard to extinguish this gift of life.

Jesus came into the world He created and they rejected Him, but all who believed Him and accepted Him were given the right to become children of God (v.10-12).  I am a child of God!  I have been given life, which brought light into the darkness I was living in, and today I will see God in every blessing He has abundantly allowed to overflow into my life out of His great love!