January 5 - Benjamin Taylor
John 1:10-18
He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
Chances are, if you are reading this right now, you have heard the gospel story of how Jesus came into the world, was rejected, died for our sins, and rose again. However, to truly begin to understand the sacrifice Jesus made, and the immense amount of love he has shown us by carrying out this sacrifice, it is vital to read the four gospels for yourself. (The Gospel of John is one of them.)
In this passage from John, John talks about how the world was made through Jesus, but when Jesus came to save the world, the world did not receive him. In this, we can get a glimpse of how powerful the love of God is. That Jesus would choose to leave his throne in heaven to become a lowly servant and live a perfect life, only to die at the hand of sinners who would mock and beat him shows a love deeper and more profound than any seen before.
However, we can choose to go against the ways of this world. By accepting Jesus and putting our faith in him we may accept his grace and be born again as children of God. Once we have accepted this amazing grace, Jesus calls us to love like he has loved. We are called to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, as well as love others as ourselves. Those are the two greatest commandments. This will not be easy though, for by accepting Jesus, we reject the world, and therefore will be persecuted by the world as Jesus was. In the end, though, it will be worth it as we worship God in heaven and behold His beautiful face.