1 John, Day 1
1 John 1
One of the things that separate Christianity from other religions is that we do not find our way to God. Instead, God seeks us out. Perhaps the best illustration of this truth is found in the parable Jesus told in Luke 15:1 – 7, the parable of the lost sheep. Because we have communion with God through the sacrifice of Christ, I think it’s easy for us to forget just how special God coming to us really is.
In 1 John 1:1 – 4, we see a description of just how mind-blowing our ability to have a relationship with God is.
“That which was from the beginning” — the timeless, eternal, all-powerful God
“Which we have seen with our own eyes” — came down to Earth in the form of Christ
“Made manifest and we have seen it” —The disciples were eyewitnesses and had direct interaction with Christ. In other words, the earthly embodiment of “that which was from the beginning.”
“and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us” — God came down in the form of Jesus so that we may benefit; that we may have eternal fellowship with Him.
“so that you too may have fellowship with us” — and that which was made known to the disciples is available for all people.
Have you ever been around someone who thought they were too important to be bothered with your presence? Most of the times in my life these people weren’t people with any real power or fame — they were just people who thought they were more important than I was. However, because they felt that way, they would distance themselves from anyone they didn’t think was important and powerful enough. Yet what we read about here is that God did not distance Himself from us, even though He had every reason to (Read the rest of 1 John 1). Instead, he sought us out and made available to us the greatest gift we could ever receive: eternity spent in his presence.
When I stop and think about the enormity of God, a being without limits, desiring a relationship with me, I cannot help but be humbled by it all and motivated out of gratitude to share that message with others and seek to honor Him in all that I do.
Adam Deering