June 5tth

June 5th -- John 1:1-18 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201:1-18&version=NLT)

Please go read!

"He came into the very world he created, but the world didn't recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him."
Imagine you are a parent. Now, you're at home, and your kid gets home from school. You are excited to see them because you just bought them that toy they've wanted for ages. But when you approach your child with the gift, they stop, and look at you as if afraid. You keep going, but they back away. When you ask what's wrong, they look at you and say "You're not my mommy... she's blonde and you have brown hair... she's tall and you're too short to be her... she is a business woman with lots of money and you don't look like you came from work anywhere...." Your child does not know who you are. You have this gift you so badly want to give them, but they insist you are not their mother. They in fact take the gift and throw it, then turn and run to the neighbours down the street. They refuse to accept you, and are taken by social workers to be talked to, as you are helplessly left to watch this.
It sounds horrible, doesn't it? Your own child not knowing who you are, and not just that but rejecting you. Well, that's what happened to Jesus, really. He came with the gift of salvation, ready and wanting to give it to all of us. We, however, did not recognize him, refusing to believe his truths that he was God as man. We did not believe him when He said he was the only way to heaven, nor did we believe he was the son of God. Instead, we rejected him. We not only rejected him, but some of us basically took his gift and threw it as far away from us as we could, saying it was false and worthless and we wanted no part of it because there had to be some hidden price. As we turn and run from God, the devil steps in and takes over by default - as we run from God, we run to the devil. So just imagine the pain of being a parent and watching your child run from you. Then realize we put God through that every time we turn from Him, refusing to recognize Him truly by focusing on Him. It's hard, and we will all sin many times before we die, but the more conscious an effort we make to keep our eyes fixed on God, the easier it will be to keep a steady path to Him.

That's all for tonight! God bless! Shalom!