12/19/2011

John 1: 18 “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”

This verse really struck me with idea that no one has seen God. There are numerous times in the Old and New Testament where people were in the presence of God or were visited by the Angel of the Lord, yet NO ONE has seen God. We have seen Jesus Christ who declared who God is but we have never before beheld the full glory of God with our eyes. This gets me so excited for the day in heaven when I will be able to behold the glory of the Lord. It will truly be beyond ANYTHING comprehendible or imaginable…

To apply this verse to my life, I want to be mindful that the amazing things God is doing for me in my life and in the lives of those around me are just glimpses of who God really is. I want to have a renewed mindset that I have barely scratched the surface in learning the things of God…there is so much more to come and I should be eagerly anticipating that moment.

12/20/2011

John 1:19 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

Here this verse is informing us that the following excerpt was John the Baptist’s reply to some priests and Levites from Jerusalem who asked him, “Who are you?” I thought that it was quite remarkable that John’s answer in the following verses are all about who Jesus is and the calling God had placed on his life. This is who John was….he was abiding in Christ. John’s identity was solely in Christ…not in the work he did or what experiences he had gone through…no, John was a follower of Jesus Christ.

This spoke volumes to me. I don’t want my identity to be in where I am from, who my family is, what classes I have taken, what countries I have travelled to….no, all of this does not define who I am in Christ. I want my identity to come from Him. This can only be accomplished, however, as I stay faithful in God’s Word and recognizing that I am the Daughter of the King of Kings…this is my identity….not a missionary to Costa Rica or an intern at PFR.  I am the bondservant of Jesus Christ. God, please renew my mindset that I might live it out not only in word but also in my heart.

12/21/2011

John 1:20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am the Christ.”

Here John is clearly stating that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. I thought this incredible because during Jesus’ ministry people had said that Jesus was Elijah or one of the prophets (Mark 8:28) but John is making it clear that even Jesus himself confessed that He was the Christ. The world still today believes that Jesus was a good moral person or a prophet but don’t want to admit to the Deity of Jesus. Did opposition stop John? No, he went right for it.

I want to apply this to my life, by not stopping at disapproval….every day the world draws closer to the day when the Lord calls His bride home. Do I have urgency in me that drives me to share even when I am met by opposition? It should actually encourage me that the other disciples dealt with the same thing and yet they went full force. I have not lived this out and I need to be bolder to share asking God for those opportunities to speak even if it is not received well, it needs to be spoken.