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" (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201&version=NIV).John begins the journey into this Gospel, not with the baptism or birth of Jesus, but from "the beginning." I love the words spoken here that refer to Jesus as both the Word, as well as the life. Jesus was with God and is God. What a powerful statement and truth, one which I have believed since I was old enough to understand the meaning of words, but one that continues to grow in its breadth and depth of everyday application. Jesus, our Creator, knew from the beginning that the result of His creation would be the death of Him. He knew, even before creating us, that we would torture and crucify Him on an old rugged, Roman cross, and that he would be our Savior, the Giver of Life. How amazing to consider that level of love and commitment to a people, humankind, that are so undeserving, but it was part of the original plan. Although the expectations were clear, and the opportunity for the perfect relationship was given, Jesus knew from the beginning what would happen. In my own human thinking, I cannot help but wonder if our loving Savior considered the possibility that we would prove to be more than expected, or if He considered that given the perfect environment with limited conditions of obedience and surrender, we might prove the future wrong. I know on an intellectual basis that, even in the absence of time, Jesus knows all , and for His perfect plan to work, there had to be the ability to choose. It is easy to sit in judgement of Adam and Eve wondering how they could possibly give into Satan's temptation for something as insignificant as a piece of fruit, but then I consider my own tendency to sin when tempted by something equally insignificant. The issue is that it goes beyond the what, but speaks more to the why. We are individuals, created in the image of God (therefore beautiful, and loved by God), who have been given freewill. It is our own pride and desire to control our destiny, or to make our own decisions that allows us to fall prey to Satan's temptations. I have never been tempted to do something I did not first find appealing, and I have yet to be sad, depressed, or hurt when I have resisted temptation, and defeated Satan through the Word of God, and the Precious, Powerful Name and Blood of Jesus. John says that it is through Jesus that we have life, which in turn is light to dispel the darkness of sin. When you view temptation in the light of Jesus, you are able to see the ugly truth, and that truth is that sin is death. Jesus is our life and light, and through Him, we can resist the temptations of Satan and live a life of complete surrender in obedience to the will of Jesus.
Lord Jesus, the giver of everything, the giver of life and light, thank you for creating us and for loving us despite our propensity to hurt You. Please grant each of us the clear view of Your love for us from the light of Scripture and the indwelling Holy Spirit, so we will be able to resist Satan and his temptations. Strengthen us so we will live in complete surrender and obedience to Your will and desire for us to be a light to those around us, and that we will live in such a way as to bring glory to Your Holy Name, and lead others to a place of salvation and surrender to You. In Jesus' Precious and Holy Name I pray, Amen.
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