John 1:1-18; 1 John 1:1-3
"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."
(1 CORINTHIANS 13:12)
We have spent the past month examining the images of our relationship to Christ: being born into His family, being His bride, and being adopted by Him. Unfortunately, those images - ones that He put in place for us to know Him better - in reality stir up great heartache for many. They bring to mind miscarriages and barrenness, horrible parents and abuse, broken marriages and unfaithfulness. They leave us longing for so much more.
Friend, you may be one who right now is in the shadows of those agonies. You may understand how you are called Christ's bride and His child, but you don't feel like that at all. Please consider that the Lord will use even these longing of your heart and these broken parts of your life to bring you out of the shadows, to show you that the reflection is not clear right now but will be one day when you are face to face with Jesus. Your heartaches are being used to draw you close to Him, to bring you fully into His family where you are known and where you know Jesus Christ as Lord.
INSIGHT
OUT OF EARTH'S SORROWS, INTO THY BALM,
OUT OF LIFE'S STORMS AND INTO THY CALM,
OUT OF DISTRESS TO JUBILANT PSALM,
JESUS, I COME TO THEE.
(WILLIAM SLEEPER, 1887)
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 39-40
Psalm 150
2 Timothy 3-4
John 1:1-18
New International Version (NIV)
The Word Became Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 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.
15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and[b] is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
Footnotes:
a. John 1:5 Or understood
b. John 1:18 Some manuscripts but the only Son, who
1 John 1:1-3
New Living Translation (NLT)
Introduction
1 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning,[a] whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
Footnotes:
a. 1 John 1:1 Greek What was from the beginning.
STRING CHRISTMAS [PART 5]
with Gerard Le Feuvre
In life and death, in health and sickness. Christians can give thanks because of the grace given to us in Christ. Even at the bleakest points in our lives, we are called to approach Him in faith.
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