Our small group from church has begun to read through and study the Gospel of John. It's been a while since I have spent a lot of time looking at this book of the Bible and I had forgotten a lot of the finer details of the Gospel. I think the best way to get the overall feel for a biblical book is to read the entire book in one sitting. This allows you get a good feel as to the flow of the story.
As I have looked at chapter 1 a couple of things jump out. First, in the first dozen verses we have John developing a wonder image of who Jesus is, His unity with God, His role in creation, His light shining in the darkness, His rejection, and His reward (Grace) to those who do believe. I love the fact that we are God's children with all the rights and responsibilities associated with this new identity.
The second thing that struck me was John, not the author John rather John the Baptist. His role in life was to point people to Jesus. That was it. He came to prepare the way. This was the testimony that he gave. What an honor to be the proclaimer of Jesus the Christ. If you think about it though that is what we are called to do as well. Our testemony, our story, our life should also point people to Jesus. As Paul writes in his letters, we are God's ambassador.
The question I leave you with is this, how does your story point others to Jesus? What has God done for you that you can testify about?
1 comment:
I don't have a great story of how God rescued me from doom... other than... well that's what he really did. What I mean is that He has, at times, moved me away from what was not good for me (or simply something less than what he wants for me) and toward things where he could use me more.
I was leading a bible study a few years ago. It was a good thing and the few who came seemed to enjoy it, appreciate it, and learn a little from it. But I sense God wanting me to get some training for a one-on-one ministry in serving those who are struggling with life. Since then, I've lost track of the number of times someone has asked me to mentor them or someone they know. Are they blind? I don't have anything profound to offer anyone. Maybe God has blinded them to my faults so that he can use me anyway. This is a mystery to me, but something I find humbling and gratifying.
I wonder what it would be like to discover, like John, that he was personally prophesied about hundreds of years earlier. What a privilege to be used by God in such a way. But I’m very OK with my meager role. I would like to keep my head attached – unlike poor John the Baptist.
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