Awhile ago, my family adopted several cats in an attempt to make them family pets. We rescued them, two from a shelter and one from the streets. When we took them in we did so with the intent to care for them and love them and in return we hoped to be loved by them. One of them in particular was shy and required a lot of care to approach. He did not trust us… it appears he was hurt in the past and still dealing with it in lack of trust for people. Over time, he gradually grew to trust us a bit more.
After awhile two of them were showing signs of sickness, including the cat that was easily scared. We took them to the vet and received the bad news that we should give them certain pills, twice a day… by mouth. Anyone who has a cat probably already realizes that feeding a cat medicine by mouth is not pleasant for owner or cat. In our best efforts to help the cats, one of them lost all sense of trust for us and would no longer allow us to approach closely or pick it up. He did not understand that we were showing love for him… that we wanted only to care for him… that we had his best interest at heart. He moved next door and would not let us approach him anymore.
I thought to myself often… if I could only explain it to him… if I could only communicate clearly with him… then he would understand and we could be reconciled. He could still be saved from a life on his own on the street and find provision and love with our family. But alas, I could not communicate with him.
Have you ever considered that God feels the same way toward us? He loves us and wants to bless us and care for us. He wants us to show Him love in return. He wants us to choose Him. Often times, however, people do not understand and they turn away from God and choose instead to make it on their own… like my cat. They do not understand that this is to their own peril, but it is. If only God could think of a way to communicate with us in a way we could understand… that we could see Him and touch Him and hear Him…
He did. God became man and walked among us in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus was not just a good teacher or prophet or good person. Jesus is God. He has existed since the beginning and chose to become flesh and dwell among us.
The Deity of Jesus Christ
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
The Word Made Flesh
14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” 16For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
Prayerfully consider how the words of scripture in the gospel of John should affect how you think about Jesus. God became flesh and dwelt among us out of love for us. He revealed Himself to us in a way we could not otherwise understand. He reached out to show us His love for us in a way we should not be able to misunderstand… He died for us and rose again so that we could know the love of God for us and that we could have a way to be reconciled to God.
How else should we respond to this act of love except with love in return? Ask yourself, “Does my life demonstrate my love for God? What changes should I make? What am I waiting for?”
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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.