John 1
“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. . . ."
"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.”
God's chose to reveal
himself to mankind in a person (Jesus, the Messiah, the Logos, the very Word of
God.)
In Hebrews 1 1-3 we read.
"Long ago God spoke to our
ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he
has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom
he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the
exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word"
It’s amazing to think
about Jesus participating in the creation of this world, but think about this! He
sustains all things – keeps them running.
He keeps the sun in the sky. He
holds this world in place. He brings
rain to support our green earth. He
continues to be active in our universe, by his powerful word.
Jesus, The Word, is the one who helps us to
know what God is like, what God’s heart is like.
John 1:18 says.
“Jesus is God’s only Son, who is
close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.”
We see the Word in creation. In Genesis 1 we read
“In the
beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and
darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the
face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”
The creation narrative goes on. It tells us that “God said” and He divided
the waters. And then, “God
said” and there were trees and flowers and such. And then, “God spoke” the sun, moon
and stars into being. Then after
speaking everything else into existence, “God spoke” and He made man.
Words!
I thought about how I use
words. There are many instances in the
Bible that God mentions our words. He
instructs us to use our words (our tongues) wisely and carefully. Do you remember reading in Ecclesiastes
about a “Time for Everything?” It
starts out telling us that there is a
time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven. The one I’m interested in today is
“a Time
to be silent and a Time to speak,”
Sometimes I need to
speak out, particularly when I see injustice.
But that doesn’t mean I need to say everything that’s on my mind.
The
Bible tells us that it’s smart to limit our words. In Proverbs 17 it says.
“The one
who has knowledge uses words with restraint.”
and then a few verses later it tells us.
“Even
fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
and discerning if they hold their tongues.”
Here’s a
quote from Abraham Lincoln that says much the same thing.
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
Words!
What about God’s word, the Bible?
Over the ages the Bible has sold more copies than any other book
ever written. I looked this up on the
internet and all of the resources agreed that it’s sold over 6 billion copies.
Do you know how many people read those billions of Bibles that
are out there? I found that only 59% of Americans
said they read their Bibles occasionally.
Guess that’s better than I thought.
Only 37% read it at least weekly, and only 11% read it every day.
Think about that – the Bible is a letter
from God to us. It tells us about Him,
about His love for us, about the future and the past. It gives us instruction. It gives us hope and comfort – and it’s not
read. That’s really sad isn’t it?
Psalm 12:6 tell us
“And the words of the Lord are flawless,
like silver purified in a crucible,
like gold refined seven times.”
like silver purified in a crucible,
like gold refined seven times.”
Isn’t that beautiful. The
words of the Lord – flawless, silver, pure pure gold?
Hebrews 4:12 says
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any
double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and
marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
It’s alive, sharp, penetrating, judging our thoughts
and attitudes. That sounds pretty
important. If we don’t pay attention to
God’s words, our words will not glorify Him.
I really want to make sure mine glorify my Father,
how about you?
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