admin
01-04-2007, 04:54 AM
Meditation
John 1:35-42
Readings
What are you looking for? (John 1:38)
Here we are at the beginning of a new year—a great time to prioritize our lives and set new goals. Maybe we’ve already made some ambitious New Year’s resolutions. But we might feel overwhelmed; there are so many resolutions to follow through on, so many things we have committed to for the coming year.
Jesus’ question to these two would-be disciples can help us be more concrete. So many projects and priorities compete for our time and attention; what do you place at the top of the list? What are you seeking? Are they spiritual resolutions? Priorities that have some kind of eternal significance? Or are they other concerns, which may be valid but may not be central to the calling God has given you?
Of all the goals and resolutions that are options for us to choose, which ones are more important? We know that what the world runs after—success, status, and the approval of others—don’t really satisfy. So they’re easy to put aside. We may next recognize that we need freedom from a pattern of sin that keeps us in bondage, or perhaps a physical healing, or a healing in a relationship. These are clearly worth pursuing. But even above these goals, perhaps we should place the goal of finding Jesus more fully. Isn’t that ultimately what we are all looking for?
The two disciples standing with John were also looking for something, and the time they spent with Jesus convinced them that he was that something! They began to understand that what God had in store for them was so much more than what they had been seeking.
As we make the resolution to abide with Christ this year—especially by immersing ourselves in his word—he will reveal himself to us. And in that revelation, so many other aspects of our lives will make more and more sense. Sin will diminish. Peace will overcome anxiety. Joy will replace frustration. We’ll have a clearer vision for our lives. In short, we will find not just the things we thought we were looking for, but what we really needed and wanted all along!
Jesus, help me to understand the cry of my own heart. Give me the desire to spend time with you in your word. You are the answer I’ve been looking for!
1 John 3:7-10; Psalm 98:1,7-9
--Online Christian Daily Devotion
John 1:35-42
Readings
What are you looking for? (John 1:38)
Here we are at the beginning of a new year—a great time to prioritize our lives and set new goals. Maybe we’ve already made some ambitious New Year’s resolutions. But we might feel overwhelmed; there are so many resolutions to follow through on, so many things we have committed to for the coming year.
Jesus’ question to these two would-be disciples can help us be more concrete. So many projects and priorities compete for our time and attention; what do you place at the top of the list? What are you seeking? Are they spiritual resolutions? Priorities that have some kind of eternal significance? Or are they other concerns, which may be valid but may not be central to the calling God has given you?
Of all the goals and resolutions that are options for us to choose, which ones are more important? We know that what the world runs after—success, status, and the approval of others—don’t really satisfy. So they’re easy to put aside. We may next recognize that we need freedom from a pattern of sin that keeps us in bondage, or perhaps a physical healing, or a healing in a relationship. These are clearly worth pursuing. But even above these goals, perhaps we should place the goal of finding Jesus more fully. Isn’t that ultimately what we are all looking for?
The two disciples standing with John were also looking for something, and the time they spent with Jesus convinced them that he was that something! They began to understand that what God had in store for them was so much more than what they had been seeking.
As we make the resolution to abide with Christ this year—especially by immersing ourselves in his word—he will reveal himself to us. And in that revelation, so many other aspects of our lives will make more and more sense. Sin will diminish. Peace will overcome anxiety. Joy will replace frustration. We’ll have a clearer vision for our lives. In short, we will find not just the things we thought we were looking for, but what we really needed and wanted all along!
Jesus, help me to understand the cry of my own heart. Give me the desire to spend time with you in your word. You are the answer I’ve been looking for!
1 John 3:7-10; Psalm 98:1,7-9
--Online Christian Daily Devotion