John, one of the twelve disciples, brother of James and perhaps the closest friend during Jesus incarnate, earthly ministry, has written this gospel.
He invites us in verse 1 to look to Jesus, the Word who was with God in the beginning. In verse 2, all things were made through Jesus. This includes all people. Sometimes we can fall into the trap of believing we are at the centre of it all. We can be selfish and self-obsessed. Jesus, however, is at the centre of all creation. We are all created by Him and for Him. He is the ruler over all with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. He is from everlasting to everlasting. He was there when everything was created. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
When we commit our lives to Him, He is our Saviour and Redeemer. In verses 11-12 John describes the rejection by some people of Jesus. John also describes how those who accept Jesus become children of God. We are God’s children. God is our Heavenly Father. This is a very important privilege to consider. There are many people, with and without one or both parents, who live as orphans. That is, they struggle and fear, because they do not perceive a Heavenly Father who loves them. They are good at “looking after number 1”. They justify to themselves their selfishness and meanness to others. When Christians are living in the Presence of their Heavenly Father, we have faith and know He is concerned for our needs. We don’t need to be filled with anxiety or fear. We are excited and joyful in His Presence. We pray and meditate on the Word of God and love to worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We listen to His wisdom and are guided to make wise choices in life that save us from the heartache of the consequences of bad choices. When we sometimes stumble into bad choices, we experience His forgiveness and restoration when we repent.
Verse 14 states: “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.”
Jesus reveals His divine glory to us. He extends to us “grace and truth”. He forgives us our sins and opens the way for us to be with Him in heaven.
John, in verse 16 says:
“From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.” We have access to rich blessings in our walk with Christ. With the grace and truth we receive, we can overflow into the lives of others too!
Suggested prayer: Dear Father in Heaven. We thank you for Jesus our Saviour and Lord. We thank you for caring for us and pouring out the fullness of Jesus, of His grace and truth into our lives. May we look to You more and be less distracted by the problems and pleasures of the world. We thank you for the privilege of Your Holy Joy by Your Holy Spirit poured out into our hearts. May Your children overflow with grace and truth into others’ lives too. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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