Knee Jerk Devotional: February 18, 2021
John 1:29-34
Passage:
The very next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and yelled out, "Here he is, God's Passover Lamb! He forgives the sins of the world! This is the man I've been talking about, 'the One who comes after me but is really ahead of me.' I knew nothing about who he was—only this: that my task has been to get Israel ready to recognize him as the God-Revealer. That is why I came here baptizing with water, giving you a good bath and scrubbing sins from your life so you can get a fresh start with God."
John clinched his witness with this: "I watched the Spirit, like a dove flying down out of the sky, making himself at home in him. I repeat, I know nothing about him except this: The One who authorized me to baptize with water told me, 'The One on whom you see the Spirit come down and stay, this One will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' That's exactly what I saw happen, and I'm telling you, there's no question about it: This is the Son of God."
How do you know what God is like? Look at Jesus.
It’s that simple. Really.
Jesus is what God is like. He is the “God-Revealer.”
As we continue to walk through Lent and wrestle with our own humanity and sin-sickness, we can know that the God we are looking for is found in Jesus.
Over the years there have been a number of conversations that I’ve had with people about God. One of the things that seems to always come up is the fact that many of the religious people they have met are unkind, unloving, or just plain mean. “How can I believe in their God? I don’t want to be like them.” That’s usually the underlying message coming from my friends who I’m talking with. Almost always I agree and typically I explain to them that the god that they’re talking is not the God that is found in the Bible. The God that is found in the Bible is ultimately revealed in the person of Jesus.
Jesus the God-Revealer offers us the clearest picture of who God is. I think that’s why I never tire of the Bible. As I continue to read, meditate, and study I learn more about Jesus and more about God. It feels as though there is no end to the depths of riches found there.
Some may try to simply distill things into a bite sized easily stated principle. Which, let’s be honest that’s what I’ve done with #LoveWell. But, it’s when you start teasing that out that you begin to find that the depths of the principle are deeper than you can ever imagine. I don’t know if I will exhaust my study and meditation on the life, work, and person of Jesus. Let alone all of the other aspects of biblical faith.
There’s so much.
Do you want to know what God is like? Then read everything you can about Jesus. He’s the God-Revealer.
During this season of Lent I want to take some specific and clear steps towards being more like Jesus. So, no, I’m not wearing sandals everywhere. But, I’m going to try and pay closer attention to my inner thoughts and the assumptions that I make about “the other.” I want to capture them, renounce them, and move towards the “the other” in love. It’s easier said than done. I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to do it. But, I’m starting with meditating on Scripture about Jesus the God-Revealer.
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