Ponder and Pray: John 1-2

Ponder: On Saturday as we introduced this journey through the Gospel of John, we encouraged you to grab a journal, maybe even a special John journal, and a pen to record every name, word, or phrase that describes God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. If you don’t engage in any other aspect of Come and See in the next seven weeks, this exercise is the one we pray you embrace. So often we come to the pages of Scripture with the question, “What can I learn about myself?” or “What does this story tell me to do?” But we have it rather mixed up because the Bible is first about God, and only when we have our eyes fixed on His character and His story can we best understand our sinfulness, our need for rescue, and our full acceptance as children of God. When we see who God is and ourselves in light of who He is, we have a treasure that will propel us forward to respond each day in Jesus-like fashion to the circumstances and people we face. In the words of John, we will know eternal life as we see the one true God and Jesus Christ (John 17:3).

• What names, words, or phrases describing Jesus stood out to me in this week’s reading from John 1 and 2?

• What characteristic of Jesus is especially encouraging or comforting to me today?

• Because Jesus is ___________, I know that I am ____________.

• Living in light of this truth, today I will __________________.

Pray: Jesus, thank You for the reminder that the Gospel of John is a story first about You, not first about me. It’s an account written by an aged man, who was reflecting back on his life and propelled forward by Your Spirit, about Your days in this sin-scarred world. My eyes land on names and the words that describe You, and I marvel. I confess I’ve so often read this book from the eyes of a child absorbing Sunday school stories. I have remained the child looking only for Your miracle-working power and missed that You are so much more. Forgive me for seeing You for so long only as the One who transformed water into wine in chapter 2 and missing that You were also a son and a brother. You experienced the challenges of family, and I can take everything I’m experiencing and feeling right now to You. Thank You for slowing me down in Your Word and showing me who You are. I love You, Lord.