In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:1-5
When was the last time you read John 1?
It is the first chapter in John’s Gospel and he uses it to introduce us to Jesus.
Perhaps you are very familiar with the beginning: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
But believe it or not, the description of Jesus in John 1 only gets better after that.
I have a goal with every Focus on Faith devotional I write. My goal is to write something each week that will keep our hearts inspired and our minds motivated to live for God—especially in a world filled with distractions that pull our hearts and minds away from the God who loves us.
Today, I want to do something a little bit different.
Rather than a thought from me, I want to invite you to slow down a bit longer than usual, quietly read John 1, and allow the truths and magnificence of Jesus draw your mind closer to Him.
As you slowly read the chapter, be careful to notice all the amazing truths that we find in Jesus.
Here are just a few of the truths the Holy Spirit tells us about Jesus in this chapter:
- Jesus is God.
- All things were made through Him.
- In Jesus is life.
- His true light gives light to everyone.
- Those who believe in Him become children of God.
- Grace and peace in the world came through Him.
As you read John 1, take note of every phrase used to describe Jesus. And may His very being draw your mind closer to Him today:
John 1:1-18 (NIV)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
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.
(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.’”)
Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we love you today. Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for his life, death, and resurrection that we can know you and follow you and serve you. May the truth about Christ overcome the distractions of this world today and draw my focus upon You. That is where it belongs and where I desire it to be. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.