Hi there Friend!
Today’s encouragement comes from our time over in John 8:31-59. (Long passage I know right? But hear me out! It’s helpful!)
So sometimes when I’m reading a passage I can wonder, “What is the significance of this part? What is something important to takeaway?” And at first this passage just felt like a historical account of an argument between Jesus and the religious leaders of the time. They keep going back and forth about a character from the Old Testament; Abraham. Abraham plays a key part in the stories that would’ve been studied at that time, especially with Abraham being the “father of our faith”. In the argument, Jesus and the people go back and forth on whether or not they are descendants of Abraham or not. Now why is this important?
Jesus makes several points to teach that if we are children of Abraham, we would recognize him at our Savior as Abraham was excited for Jesus! Abraham knew Jesus was coming and the meaning of that gift. And Jesus knew of this, because Jesus has ALWAYS been there.
Think about that; Jesus has always “been”.
The book of John starts with “In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word WAS God.” What does this mean? It means Jesus was with God the Father in the beginning (so was the Holy Spirit! Whoop whoop lol). But check this out, that means Jesus has been there since Adam, Noah, Abraham, and witnessed eeeeeeverybody’s lives since then. Isn’t that strangely comforting? That Jesus has always existed? Think about everything Abraham went through: everything his wife went through as she battled grief of infertility. Think about Noah, taking huge steps of faith in building an ark with his family. Think about David and his mistakes with Bathsheba. To finally Jesus being on earth with Mary in a manger. He was there when Peter and the disciples were caught in a storm. He was there with the disciples and his spirit is with us now! Since then, He has been there from rising empires, falling empires, old couples and new marriages. He is there for the birth of millions of kids, tsnumanis, and celebrations, all around the world since the beginning of time.
Knowing this, do you really think he’s surprised by our problems? That he’s never faced a problem like this before? That Jesus overcame death, hell and the grave- but he can’t handle a late bill, a breakup, or a job loss?
Sometimes, if I don’t understand a passage I’ll ask, “What are you teaching me about your character through this passage?”
Today I learned that Jesus has always “been. That through it all, he is The “I Am”. Somehow focusing on how BIG he is, it shows how small my problems are and that he is trustworthy through it. The verse that keeps playing in my head the last 24 hours is “Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be given to you.” Whatever you’re facing, Jesus knows what you need. But first, let’s fix our eyes on Him. If choices and life seems overwhelming, the next right step is just to seek him first. Just start there. He’s been around for a while y’all. I think he’ll know what to do next lol.
Anyway- hope it helps!🤣🤣✨ What did you take away from today friend?