Dec 1 - John 1

So, hopefully you've had time to read John 1 on your own and developed an idea of what it's about. I read it this morning, but haven't had time to write until now.

A great way to study the Bible is to follow a few simple steps:
1. Pray to remove distractions & ask God to reveal what He wants you to get out of the reading
2. Read
3. Journal
4. Pray

Whoa, journal? Really? Yes! It's great to get your thoughts on paper. Journalling is easy, you just need to get into practice!

Pastor Wayne Cordeiro of New Hope shares his journalling technique of SOAP. Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. It's pretty self explanatory and these next few weeks of going through John will be similar to this process.

S - "He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." ~John 1:2-3

O - Here, I believe, scripture is telling us that Jesus was with God in the beginning. He was with God before the creation of the world. All things were made through Jesus. Nothing was made without Jesus.

A - Jesus was born here on earth, but it wasn't when he was created. Jesus, along with the Holy Spirit and God the Father were together when the world was created. With Jesus, everything on this earth was created. So, Jesus already was and then came to this broken world knowing He would be flogged and crucified? All I can say is, "Wow!" is there any other god out there that can say that for himself? My God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above!

P - Father God in Heaven, you are ever present, the Creator, the alpha and the omega. Through the trinity of the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, everything in this universe was created. Thank you, Lord, for everything You created, even the trees and birds and gorgeous sunsets. Your majesty and glory are all around me. Through the unity of the Spirit and Christ Jesus, everything comes together. In Jesus name, I thank you for all these things,
Amen.

What did you receive from this chapter? Encourage your friends and family to seek God first!

"If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." ~Romans 10:9-10