John 1:14 - He Loves to Be with the Ones He Loves.
John 1:14: He Loves to Be with the Ones He Loves.
John 1:14 (KJV) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,
(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 (NIV) 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 1:14 (AMP) And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human,
incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among
us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such
glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace
(favor, loving-kindness) and truth.
DEVOTIONAL PEARL
Holiday travel. It isnt easy. Then why do we do it? Why
cram the trunks and endure the airports? You know the answer. We love
to be with the ones we love.
The four-year-old running up the sidewalk into the arms of
Grandpa.
The cup of coffee with Mom before the rest of the house
awakes.
That moment when, for a moment, everyone is quiet as we hold
hands around the table and thank God for family and friends and
pumpkin pie.
We love to be with the ones we love.
May I remind you? So does God. He loves to be with the ones
he loves. How else do you explain what he did? Between him and us
there was a distance - a great span. And he couldnt bear it. He
couldnt stand it. So he did something about it.
Before coming to the earth, Christ himself was like God in
every-thing. But he gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He
was born to be a man and became like a servant (Phil. 2:6"7
NCV).
Why? Why did Jesus travel so far?
I was asking myself that question when I spotted the
squirrels outside my window. A family of black-tailed squirrels has made
its home amid the roots of the tree north of my office. Weve been
neighbors for three years now. They watch me peck the keyboard. I watch
them store their nuts and climb the trunk. Were mutually amused. I
could watch them all day. Sometimes I do.
But Ive never considered becoming one of them. The
squirrel world holds no appeal to me. Who wants to sleep next to a hairy
rodent with beady eyes? (No comments from you wives who feel you
already do.) Give up the Rocky Mountains, bass fishing, weddings, and
laughter for a hole in the ground and a diet of dirty nuts? Count me
out.
But count Jesus in. What a world he left. Our classiest
mansion would be a tree trunk to him. Earths finest cuisine would be
walnuts on heavens table. And the idea of becoming a squirrel with
claws and tiny teeth and a furry tail? Its nothing compared to God
becoming a one-celled embryo and entering the womb of Mary.
But he did. The God of the universe kicked against the wall
of a womb, was born into the poverty of a peasant, and spent his
first night in the feed trough of a cow. The Word became flesh and
lived among us (John 1:14 NRSV). The God of the universe left the
glory of heaven and moved into the neighborhood. Our neighborhood! Who
could have imagined he would do such a thing.
Why? He loves to be with the ones he loves. [Max Lucado Daily
Devotional at maxlucado.com]
COMMENTARY
What does "the Word became flesh" mean?
This is called the "incarnation." When the Son of God was
born, God became a man. He was not part man and part God; he was
completely human and completely divine (Col. 2:9). The incarnation is the
act whereby the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God, took
on real human flesh. He was one person with two natures-a perfectly
divine nature and a perfectly human (yet sinless) nature. As the
God-man he had all the attributes of deity (Col. 1:19; Heb. 1:8-10). As
man he had all the attributes of humanity. His two natures are
separate, distinct, and without fusion or mixture. Before Christ came,
people could know God partially. After Christ came, people could know
God fully because he became visible and tangible in Christ. Christ
is the perfect expression of God in human form. The two most common
errors people make about Jesus are to minimize his humanity or to
minimize his divinity. Jesus is both God and man. [The One Year Bible
Companion re John 1:14]
Do you think Jesus ever hit his funny bone and had his hand
go numb? Or if the Lord bumped his knee just right, did his foot
involuntarily shoot into the air? It's kind of weird to think about God's Son
having normal human bodily responses. But the Bible dearly says that
Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). When he got tired,
he slept. When he was hungry, his stomach rumbled. And if he ate
too fast, he might have suffered from aerophagia - frequent belching
after eating too quickly and swallowing a lot of air. (Can you imagine
Jesus burping?) That may sound gross, but the fact is Jesus was 100
percent God and 100 percent human.
The Bible contains a number of verses that show Jesus'
humanity. He got angry. He cried. He experienced pain.
When Jesus walked through the countryside teaching about
God's kingdom, he probably got sweaty. (It's pretty hot and dusty in
some parts of the Holy Land.) If it had been too long between baths,
he might have even had BO (as in "body odor").
Because Jesus was fully human, he understands everything
you're going through. He knows what it's like to grow up with siblings
and have friends stab you in the back. But it's also important to
remember that Jesus was a real person who lived during a real time in
history.
The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are filled with
stories about Jesus' life. But he also appears in numerous other
historical writings. In the first century AD, a Jewish historian named
Flavius Josephus documented that Jesus was a teacher who performed
"surpassing feats" and had a group of disciples who continued to follow him
after his death. Tacitus, a Roman historian and senator, wrote about
Jesus' execution by Pontius Pilate. And Jesus is mentioned in other
ancient writings as well.
As you put your faith in Jesus and build the foundation of
your faith, you can be confident about who Jesus Christ really is.
He's a real man who lived in a real place during a real time in
history. And he's really God's Son who really loves you a lot, right now.
[Case For Christ For Kids by Les Strobel]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY
Love Supreme:
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2018/20180906-1054.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo [old, but one of the best]
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Musical Devotional On Christian Living:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcotY5K7T0c
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Discover Bible Studies: http://studies.itiswritten.com/discover/
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: http://www.bibleresearch.info/
ABible.com: http://www.aBible.com
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmGvdtMCf1aJTiC59-lPtuUMEq_uEn0BK
Restoring The Power by John Bradshaw:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRogO1SxoZN15Boa7BMon4BouVMdteVaq
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
Last Day Prophecy: His Other Sheep by Pastor Gerald Babanezhad:
https://vimeo.com/162267518
