Tag: creator

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John Devotionals

The Word

John

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning…The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:1, 14)

As many of us know, when John talks about the Word, he’s referring to Jesus. He was with God in the beginning. And he is God himself. But why did John refer to Jesus as “the Word”? 

There are various theories, but here are some thoughts. 

In Psalm 33:6, the Psalmist says this,

The heavens were made by the word of the LORD,
and all the stars, by the breath of his mouth.

John also echoes this idea in verse 3. 

All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. (John 1:3)

Many times in the Old Testament, we see the Word of the Lord coming to the prophets revealing God and his message to the people. (Isaiah 38:4, Jeremiah 1:4 for example). 

John also talks about this in verse 18. 

No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side—he has revealed him. (John 1:18)

The Psalmist further talks about how God sends his Word to bring healing and salvation.

He sent his word and healed them;
he rescued them from their traps. (Psalm 107:20)

And Isaiah talks about the power of the Word that he sends. 

For just as rain and snow fall from heaven
and do not return there
without saturating the earth
and making it germinate and sprout,
and providing seed to sow
and food to eat,
so my word that comes from my mouth
will not return to me empty,
but it will accomplish what I please
and will prosper in what I send it to do. (Isaiah 55:10-11)

And so John essentially says, “This Word who created all, who reveals the Father, who heals and saves, who accomplishes all of God’s purposes, he became flesh and dwelt among us.”

So take some time and meditate on these things. Meditate on who Jesus is. And worship him. 

Come, let us adore him!
Christ the Lord.

Categories
Psalms

The Creator and his creation

Psalms

And so we come to the end of Book IV of the Psalms (actually it ends with Psalm 106, but we’ve already covered 105 and 106 earlier).

Whether David is the author of this psalm or not is unknown, but it does start the same way as Psalm 103.

Praise the Lord, my soul. (Psalm 104:1)

But whereas in the previous psalm, David praised God for his love and mercy, here the psalmist praises him for his creation. And as he looks at creation he marvels at the awesomeness of God, singing,

Lord my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment. (1–2)

As I read this, I can’t help but think of John’s words when he said,

God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5)

In other words, he is holy. And so in the light, we see glimpses of his glory and his holiness.

The psalmist then marvels at the night sky, and how God stretches out the heavens, and as high as they are, they are but the foundation of his dwelling place, and the clouds are but his chariot.

Verse 4 as originally written seems to refer to how even the wind and the lightning are his messengers and servants. They proclaim his glory and do his will.

In the book of Hebrews, the writer uses this verse to talk about angels, and says they are merely God’s servants, as are the wind and fire, compared with Jesus who is uniquely the Son of God.

He then basically relates the Genesis account: how God brought about dry land, created the plants, trees, and the animals; how he created the times, days, and seasons; how he provides food for all creation, and gives it its very life.

Having recounted all these things, the psalmist extols his creator, singing,

How many are your works, Lord!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.

There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small. (24–25)

Toward the end of the psalm he sings further,

May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works—
he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke. (31–32)

He then concludes by singing,

I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the Lord. (33–34)

When it comes down to it, that is what we need to remember from this psalm. Because he is our Creator, he is worthy of our praise.

And so every day, we ought to praise him not only with our words, but with our thoughts and actions as well.

For all who fail to do so will perish. (35a)

So as the psalmist wrote,

Praise the Lord, my soul.
Praise the Lord. (35b)

Categories
Psalms

Making way for the King

Psalms

In the last psalm, we saw God as a loving shepherd. Here we see him as king.

On what basis does he claim that title? That he is our creator. David sang,

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters. (Psalm 24:1–2)

Just about everyone acknowledges that if you make something with your own materials and with your own hands, what you create belongs to you.

In the same way, God created everything, including you and me, and so rightfully, we belong to him. And one day we will have to give an account to our King.

Who will be able to stand before God on that day?

The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.

They will receive blessing from the Lord
and vindication from God their Savior.

Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob. (Psalm 24:4–6)

Note here that it’s not enough to live a “good life.” You also need to acknowledge God as your King. As your God. As your Savior.

Not only that, you need a heart that seeks his face.

That is what is important to God. That we would put our faith in him, trusting in him each day.

That’s what saved Abraham in the Old Testament. It’s what justified him before God, even though Abraham himself failed many times.

And it’s what saved and justified everyone who followed him, even down to our day.

It is these people that God says will receive blessing from him and be vindicated on that day.

How about you? Have you made room in your heart for him as your king? David wrote,

Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord Almighty —
he is the King of glory. (Psalm 24:7–10)

Let us open the gates to our hearts and make way for our King to not only enter, but to have his way in our lives.