Logos

I said John 1 was jam-packed with good stuff and I meant it. We will look at another three names for Jesus with ties to John 1 before we branch out more, and we’re finally going to look at the name given to Jesus in John 1.

“In the begin was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it. … The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-5, 14

Now most of the time when I have heard someone discuss Jesus’ name the Word, they have referred back to Genesis and the creation story, particularly how God spoke the world into being. God’s Word was the vehicle of creation. This thought nicely coincides with what we see in the first few verses of John 1 as well as what is written in Psalm 33, “The heavens were made by the word of the Lord, and all the stars, by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into a heap; He puts the depths into storehouses. Let the whole earth tremble before the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it came into being; He commanded, and it came into existence.” (verses 6-9) So Jesus as the Word is clearly marked as the active force in creation.

A look into the history of the Greek word logos (which translates to “word” in the passage in John) gives even greater context to what John may have meant when he called Jesus the Word. The basic historical definition of the word logos is “to pick up, collect, count up, give account” and most directly refers to the act of bringing items into relation with one another. Early philosophers began to make the connection between the word logos’ meaning “to give account of something” and the order and balance found in the universe, eventually referring to this force as the cosmic logos. Heraclitus (ca. 535-475 BC) “understood logos as a principle of universe coherence and saw the world as a collection of unified things all kept in order by logos.” (Hillar, Logos to Trinity) Like others before him, he believed in a singular principle that unified and ordered the world and identified this principle by the term logos. Other philosophers would add to this- particularly as logos applies to the spoken word- but it is John who would give a name to this cosmic unifying principle- Jesus. (If you’d like a more in depth read on the history of the word logos, I found this article most interesting. https://blog.logos.com/2-ways-jesus-is-the-word-of-god-revelation-and-logos/)

But this name holds even more for us. “John calls Jesus the Word because he had come to see the words of Jesus as the truth of God and the person of Jesus as the truth of God in such a unified way that Jesus himself- in his coming, and working, and teaching, and dying and rising- was the final and decisive message of God.” (John Piper, In the Beginning Was the Word) Jesus is the message of God. From the first sin in the garden, God had a plan and it was Jesus.

Jesus is the manifested revelation of God’s message of love, redemption and justice. Take some time to be still and hear the Word of God.

Verses to help us on our way:
Genesis 1, Isaiah 55:10-11, Hebrews 11:3, Hebrews 1:1-3

 

Lord,
May we never forget the power of your word and the power in your son, the Word. All we know, and even that which we do not, exists by your will and through your Word. More amazing is that this same creator would come down to earth to live amongst us and experience all that we see and feel. We celebrate that this Christmas season and we worship you for your vast creativity and beautiful message of love, redemption and justice.

Unchanging

The name I have dwelt upon today builds directly upon the one from yesterday.

“Jesus said to them, ‘I assure you: before Abraham was, I AM.” John 8:58

Now if you read that and aren’t familiar with Exodus 3 or are new to the Bible in general, that statement may just sound like bad grammar, but it is so much more than that. In Exodus, we read of a conversation where God shares His personal name with Moses. “Then Moses asked God, ‘If I go to the Israelites and say to them: The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what should I tell them?’ God replied to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.’”Exodus 3:13-14 This personal name of God was treated with such great care by the Israelites that they never spoke it out loud so that they would never unintentionally break a commandment by using it in vain, and here we find Jesus, not just using the name, but applying it to Himself. This was no mistake and this was no simple declaration. With this statement, many would view Jesus as a heretic because in so doing He was claiming not just to be like God or be a son of God; He was claiming to be God. Jesus affirms what would later be written in John 1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”

I AM WHO I AM. What insights into Jesus does such a name give us? I have read much on this name and can tell you it is a deep and rich name that alludes to the fact that Jesus is eternally present in all moments- past, present and future. It also shows us that no reality exists beyond Him, that He is unchanging, and that He is all that is needed. I AM WHO I AM also serves to remind us that truth rests in Jesus and Jesus alone. He is who He is and He alone can tell us who that is. Human thoughts and opinions about Him will not change things one iota. In a 1984 article I Am Who I Am, John Piper expresses it this way, “When God says I AM WHO I AM, He summons us to human objectivity. He puts an end to the notion that everybody’s view of God is as good as everybody else’s. God is who He is and nobody’s opinion of Him makes any difference. Therefore, our calling as His creatures is to strive to know Him for who He is, not for who we would like Him to be.”

At a time when it is not uncommon to hear those in our world say “everyone has their own truth / live your truth,” I AM WHO I AM calls us to something higher. He sets the standard and nothing we say, think or feel will change it. So as you take time today to sit and dwell at the feet of the Great I AM, still your thoughts and wait for Jesus to reveal the truth of Himself to you.

Verses to help us on our way:

John 4:25-26, Revelation 1:8, John 8:31-32, Psalms 102:27, Malachi 3:6, James 1:17

 

Lord,

I stand in awe of who You are. You are more than I could ever imagine or wish for. You are a steadying rock amongst shifting shadows and the standard by which we can guide our life. Thank you for Your constancy and the peace, comfort and assurance that comes with it.

Timeless

I cannot think of a better place to start than a passage that literally begins with the words, “In the beginning.” Kind of screams, “Start with me,” doesn’t it?

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man named John who was sent from God. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, yet the world did not recognize Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.

The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:1-14

This is a long passage and I’m not going to look at it all today, but it is too good to cut into pieces. So I’m going to leave it all there but only focus on the first two sentences today. We’ll get to a lot of the rest later.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” Oddly enough although these two sentences identify a name of Jesus, that is also not where I want to sit today. There is something even greater that we need to know about Jesus before we can consider and appreciate who He is. Jesus- who is referred to here as the Word- was with God at the very beginning. As we enter into this Christmas season when we remember Jesus’ birth, it may be easy to lose sight of the fact that Jesus had no beginning. He has always been and will always be. In fact as far as we are concerned, He is the beginning.

More than that, Jesus was not just with God at the beginning, Jesus is God. They are one and the same. Now that can be confusing and I’m not going to even start to dive into the concept of the trinity. No explanation I’ve heard has ever fully explained how it works. They are separate and yet one. Unique in their missions and roles but still- one. But this I know and trust, in John 10:30, Jesus states, “I and the Father are one,” and in John 14:7-9, “If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

Later this month, we may celebrate a newborn baby laid in a manger, but we praise and worship One who was not created but has always been. He was there before the world was created. He knows how it was intended to be and He knows what has gone astray. He knows every step along the path that has brought this world to its present day, and He will be present for all that is yet to come. The eternality of Jesus cannot be underestimated or overlooked. A.W. Tozer in his book The Knowledge of the Holy explains it this way, "The idea of endlessness is to the kingdom of God what carbon is to the kingdom of nature. As carbon is present almost everywhere, as it is an essential element in all living matter and supplies all life with energy, so the concept of everlastingness is necessary to give meaning to all Christian doctrine. Indeed I know of no tenet of the Christian creed that could retain its significance if the idea of eternity were extracted from it." How does the reality that Jesus is eternal- with no beginning or end- change the way I look at who He is? How does it affect how we view His sacrifice, His mercy, His grace and His justice?

To be outside of time is so foreign to us, we may avoid thinking about it all together. Instead take this time to rest at the feet of Jesus and dwell on the fact that He was and is and is to come.

A few verses to help us on our way:
2 Timothy 1:9-10; 1 Timothy 6:15-16; Colossians 2:9-10; 1 Timothoy 3:16 (HCSB)

Lord,
It can be so hard for us to understand the idea of immortality or eternality. Our lives here are so bound to time with a distinct beginning and an all too final end, yet we are so thankful that You are not bound by those same constraints. You are above and beyond all we could ever know. Help me to hold fast to this truth and may it influence and guide my thoughts in the days ahead. Jesus, You are timeless.

Dwell

 When my parents first received my mom’s cancer diagnosis, my dad shared with us all that they were focusing on the passage in Hebrews 12:2-3 “Keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won’t grow weary and lose heart.” In the weeks that have followed Eyes on Jesus has become our families’ battle cry, and often in our communications (updates on Mom, etc), you will see EOJ at the end- a reminder for us all whatever we may face. And so for many weeks, I have been reminded to keep my eyes on Jesus.

Then this past Sunday, our associate minister spoke on the difference between doing for God and being with God. He looked at the passage about Mary and Martha and noted that though Martha’s actions were good- after all she was fulfilling a command for hospitality- Mary’s choice was better. Mary chose to sit and listen at the feet of Jesus, and I knew that was precisely where I wanted and needed to be. This message built upon the reminder to keep my Eyes on Jesus and called me to even more. So I have decided to embark on a journey this Christmas season to do just that- to dwell at the feet of Jesus.

Dwell- it’s such a beautiful, rich word. It suggests settling down, residing permanently, and that is exactly what I wish- not just to visit briefly with Jesus, but to make my home at His feet. I cannot think of a better way to approach this then to spend the days leading up to Christmas focusing on who He is- what was prophesied about Him, how He identified Himself and who the apostles and disciples worshiped and praised in the New Testament letters.

I share to help keep me accountable in the days ahead but I also invite you all to join me if you wish. Sit at the feet of Jesus and take in all that He is and find your home with Him this holiday season.

All Things

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways, acknowledge him and He will direct your path.”
Proverbs 3:5-6

This verse is one of those that I find myself going back to time and again. For a long time the verse served primarily as a reminder to trust God and to rest in Him- a promise for those who would trust in the Lord- and what a blessing and comfort when the way has seemed unclear or uncertain.

 But in recent years, I have really focused more on the first three quarters of these verses, and even more so, on the two times the word all is used.

There is a requirement and a promise. The more I think on the word “all,” the more the requirement feels impossible. After all, we have regularly cautioned our girls against the use of words like all/always/never because they are hard to keep or prove true. They are absolutes and therefore something that requires a level of perfection/completeness we cannot pretend to attain. Consider….

“Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart…” This means we must turn over everything we love, everyone we care for, everything we value and trust it to the Lord. My mind tells me that makes perfect sense since the Lord is the Lord God Almighty, creator of the world and all that is in it, the very One whose word brought everything into being and who holds it all together. Where else would I place my trust? But when I really lean into the word all, I start to squirm a little. This means everything. Everyone I care for. Everything I hold to be important and value. I must lay it ALL in the hands of the Lord. I must give up my own control over the situations and leave them with the Lord, even if His path is not one I would choose. Despite all I know of God, sometimes the fear of what that may mean feels too great and I find it too hard to give all.

”….lean not on your own understanding.” This strikes another cord for it goes against all that we are told and taught to believe in our society today. I did a quick google search on relying on yourself and here are some of the first quotes that came up.

“Because in the end, you’re all you got.”
“Depend on yourself before depending on others, because others can let your down, but you can pick yourself up.”
“In the end, the only person you can rely on is yourself.” (Wayne Scholtz)
“Your first problem is relying on someone else’ word. Always depend on yourself. No one will work as hard for you as you will.” (Behdad Sami)
“Don’t depend too much on anyone in this world because even your shadow leaves you when you’re in the darkness.”
“Those who fly solo have the strongest wings.”
“Rely on yourself and be true to who you are. What’s unique about you is what will take you far. Don’t look to others to say you’re okay. You know it- so believe it!- show your own self the way.” (Wayne Dyer)

Some of these quotes come off a little jaded, while others are definitely meant to be inspirational, but in the end, the message is the same. No one knows what is right for you or will do better for you than you, so choosing to “lean not on your own understanding” seems rather counterintuitive and maybe even radical. I mean who could know what is better for me than me? To choose to lean on someone else’s understanding requires a certainty of their good will as well as their knowledge of you and what you are facing. It is no small feat to achieve. For me, it isn't believing God knows all and therefore knows more than me, but it is humbling myself enough to truly seek only His understanding because He knows all and therefore knows more.

“In ALL your ways, acknowledge Him….” Here we are again- another all. In all your ways- all your actions, all your responses, all your interactions, and not just with your family and friends and amenable co-workers. In ALL your ways- that means how you respond to the person who has wronged you, the person who has hurt you- deeply and frequently. It means how you act when what you know to be right goes against the crowd or your family and friends. It means how you treat your enemy, your competition, the gloating victor. In ALL these ways and in ALL we do, we are to acknowledge Him and that means acknowledging that He is the creator of all, He is almighty and all knowing, gracious and just, love and truth and His way is the only right way. And in acknowledging Him in this way, we must also be able to recognize and accept our own limitations and failings, and that can be a hard thing to do.

To trust and rely on God, acknowledging His sovereignty in all things at all times certainly feels like an enormous request. How could God make such a request when He knows we will be unable to keep it?

Because only then can God truly direct our paths. Otherwise, we will be in a sort of tug of war with Him, where we say we are going to leave Him in control but then “this one time” for “this specific person,” we get uncomfortable giving up control. We get scared or nervous of what the outcome might mean if we don’t direct things, so instead of allowing God to direct our path, we snatch a part back and try to do it on our own. God may still walk alongside us but the path is no longer one where He leads. We rob ourselves of the promise and the blessing when we don’t freely offer the trust, reliance and acknowledgment He has asked for. It is a task we will have to work at all of our life, but it will be so worth it- both in this life and for the age to come.

When I focus on that last part, what felt impossible now appears to be one of the greatest blessings of all. It will still take a lot of work on my part and on yours, and we will certainly fail more times than we’d ever care to admit, but God is faithful and will be there when we turn back to Him.

God asks us to give up control and rest in Him. And while those “all” statements may seem so difficult at times, the “all/always” statements God offers in return are incomparable (and this is just a few).


“Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

‘As for God, His way is perfect: the Lord’s word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?” Psalm 18:30-31

“I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.” Psalm 34:4-5, 8

“Yes, my soul finds rest in God; my hope comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.” Psalm 62:5-8

“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord my soul and forget not all His benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103: 1-5

“The Lord watches over you- the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm- He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” Psalm 121:5-8

“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16

“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:31-33

“This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:22-24

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave Him up for us all- how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And He who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’” Revelation 21:4-5

 

He is making ALL things new. All that I care for, all that I value, all that I know and understand and all that I do. He is making ALL things new. Maybe in this world and maybe not until the next- but that is one promise we can cling to.

Yes, amen and amen! God asks us to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge (Him),” and he replies with “I am with you always" and "I am making all things new!”

He Makes All Things Beautiful

 I've been reading through the Bible this year using a reading guide through an online app that includes a short daily podcast that goes over the reading from the day. I've really enjoyed it. While I don't always agree with the conclusions that are expressed, overall I have found that most days the podcast helps me find purpose and value in texts that would otherwise seem irrelevant for me today. However in the last few days, I have had to read chapters (yes multiple chapters) of almost pure geneology. Verse after verse listing off names of people- most of whom I won't hear about anywhere else in the Bible and a large portion of them whose names I can't read (with way too many vowels!). 

I have to be honest. When I sat down for the podcast after my sixth straight chapter of geneologies, I really wondered what great insight the speaker was going to find for me. I just couldn't see it. And then the speaker explained why the geneologies were so important- not to me, but to their original audience. From that explanation, the speaker showed how those lists showed God's great love for Israel and His desire to restore her. I'd just read several books (pretty much all of them up to this point) where Israel had proved to be more faithful in their faithlessness than in following God and here we are with God doing all that is necessary to restore them. I have to admit that by the end of the podcast, I had tears in my eyes. God's love is that amazing. His faithfulness is perfect and complete.

 And I thought there wasn't much to be found in this list of names.

But isn't that how God often works? He can take anything and make it something beautiful. Whether your facing another  repetitive, tedious task or you're in the midst of something painful- physically, emotionally or mentally, God can take it and turn those moments into something beautiful.

All or nothing

 "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:21b

This verse has been playing on repeat in my mind lately.

I've struggled with it internally for as long as I can remember. You see in my head, I know it to be true. God has the ultimate say; He is in control of all things. Every last thing is a gift from Him, and at the end, none of it will come with me. Other translations say, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away." Past, present or future- this holds true. I know this in my head.

But my heart and my will rebel because deep down I've never been comfortable with the second half of that phrase. "The Lord takes away." I mean- I like to think that I have some control over my life- that I make the decisions for my life. Whole-heartedly believing in this verse means letting go of that "right" and recognizing the One who is really in control, even if He takes away something I'm not ready to give up. 

Ugh.... my heart squeezes a bit to even write that last line. 

Yes, I've struggled with the idea that God takes away for a long time- mostly because I've been afraid. But these last few weeks as this verse has rolled around in my head, I started to focus on the first half of that statement. "The Lord gives." It's such a simple statement, and sadly it's one I've taken for granted far, far too often.  The list of all that I have been given is immense....and undeserved. And that is what has made me pause lately. I've been given so much and yet it's also something I have never questioned, doubted or troubled myself over. Those words don't bother me- I'm good with God giving.

But if I try to accept the first statement, "The Lord gives" while refusing to accept the second half, "and the Lord takes away," what am I saying about who God is? I am turning Him into nothing more than one of those token candy dispensers- at my command, tightly boxed-in and limited.

Is that the God I want to serve?
Is that the type of God I want to be in control of my life, this country, our world and all that is created? No. What a poor god I would make of Him.
No if I want a powerful, almightly, all-knowing God of truth, grace and justice, I have to let Him be all of who He is and that includes the God who gives and takes away. 

And that makes me squirm a bit- because it does mean giving up all control, all authority of my life to God, but I also know as hard as it is, it is also the only answer. Things in this life may hurt me or leave me with questions and no answers, but I would be more hurt without Him. I would be completely lost and desperately grasping for anything that looked like an answer without Him- because He is my answer.

"The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.

Blessed be the name of the Lord!"

I pray that when the time comes that I must face my fear that I will not get lost in the taking away but will rest in the name of the Lord.