God Is Love (eBook)

January

JANUARY 1

From the Very Beginning

In the beginning the Living Expression was already there. And the Living Expression was with God, yet fully God.

JOHN 1:1

The very beginning of the book of John does not discuss the birth of Jesus. Rather, it discusses his deity. The eternal existence of the Christ is presented at the very start, calling our attention to his essence. He was present in ages past, and he will reign throughout the ages to come. He was with God, being a very part of God himself, at and before the beginning of the universe.

Jesus, the Living Expression of God, is the one who came to lead us to life by illuminating the Father’s heart. He revealed the hidden thoughts, plans, and dreams God has for his children. Christ was with God, and he was sent from God to lead us back to him. He came to set the record straight—that God’s passionate love for his people meant he would lay down his very life so they could be saved. So we could be saved. What a wonderful God he is.

YAHWEH, thank you for the power of your gift to us. Jesus Christ, I believe that you were with God at the very beginning, and you came to seek, save, and liberate us in your love. Thank you.

JANUARY 2

In Creativity’s Image

Through his creative inspiration this Living Expression made all things, for nothing has existence apart from him!

JOHN 1:3

Look out of the closest window. Notice what is around you. Everything that you see came from somewhere. If you see buildings, the materials that make them up were first gathered and fabricated then put together. Notice the way the sun shines. The trees grow even if they stand dormant in the midst of a cold winter.

God is the source of all life. This includes you and me. Nothing has existence apart from him, and nothing thrives without him. We were made in the image of creativity, and that means that each of us is filled with it. We are unique reflections of God’s nature. With that in mind, we should celebrate the way we see the world. No one else has our DNA. How boring it would be if we were all the same, and yet so many of us try to shape-shift to blend in. We were born to be ourselves. We come fully alive in the love of Christ, and we don’t have to look the same as others to do this.

Creator, thank you for the freedom I have in you to be myself. Thank you for your love that liberates me, refines me, and heals me. I am yours.

JANUARY 3

Light of Life

A fountain of life was in him, for his life is light for all humanity. And this Light never fails to shine through darkness—Light that darkness could not overcome!

JOHN 1:4–5

Every form of life comes from Christ. We are more than bodies; we have spirits and souls. Our whole beings are brought to life in the “Light that darkness could not overcome.” Not only does Christ offer us light, but he also is the Light. As we look to him, we are able to see things more clearly. He shines brightly in glory, and he will never diminish. He dwells in radiance, and there are no shadows in his presence.

Bring to Jesus all your worries and cares. Give him your weary hopes and your questions. Look to him and let the light of his presence burst through your own gloom. He is pure light, life, and love. There is ample peace, abundant joy, and pervading hope in him. You were created to dwell in him, to depend on his provision, and to reflect his nature in your own life. It all starts with knowing Christ, who is the Living Expression of the Father. He is the light of life that dispels fear, shame, and the heavy fog of self-doubt.

Jesus, I look to you today. As I do, burn off all that holds me back from freedom in your love.

JANUARY 4

Recognizable

He entered into the world he created, yet the world was unaware. He came to the people he created—to those who should have received him, but they did not recognize him.

JOHN 1:10–11

Jesus, the Son of God, came to those he created. He did not come to strangers but to friends. He was born a Hebrew, into the very people who should have known him best. Many did not recognize him, however. The person and ministry of Jesus Christ challenged their understanding of who God was, whom he loved, and how he chose to move on the earth.

We must look at how Christ challenges our own biases. Are we resistant to his magnanimous mercy that he offers to all in the same measure? Do we insist that his grace has limits or conditions? Let’s lay down our defenses and allow ourselves to look with open hearts at the life, ministry, teachings, and sacrifice of Christ. As we do, we will be able to recognize his work in our lives and receive more of him. He offers us so much kindness, grace, strength, and mercy if we will but receive the truth of who he is.

Savior, open my spiritual eyes to see who you are and who I am in light of that. I lay aside my preconceived notions of who you are and receive you as you are.

JANUARY 5

Children of God

Those who embraced him and took hold of his name he gave authority to become the children of God!

JOHN 1:12

Each of us has the opportunity to receive the fullness of God through Christ in our personal lives. We don’t have to jump through hoops to know him. We don’t have to look a certain way, work our tails off, or crack a mysterious code in order to become a child of God. As we embrace Christ, we lay hold of his name by believing all that he represents and by putting into practice what he taught.

The apostle John emphasized the wonderful opportunity we have to belong to God in his epistle: “Look with wonder at the depth of the Father’s marvelous love that he has lavished on us! He has called us and made us his very own beloved children” (1 John 3:1). What indescribable goodness there is when we embrace Christ as our Savior. As we become more like him, our lives reflect the beauty of God’s character. This is how we’re known as children of the Most High.

Jesus Christ, I want to live from the expansive mercy of your heart. I believe that life originates in you and that following your ways is worth it. Thank you for making a way for me in your kingdom.

JANUARY 6

Born of God

He was not born by the joining of human parents or from natural means, or by a man’s desire, but he was born of God.

JOHN 1:13

Just as Jesus was born of God, he offers us the ability to be spiritually reborn as children of God. Jesus was completely human, but he was also fully divine. In him, we find the wholeness—body, soul, and spirit—that we long for. The more we embrace him and his ways, the more holistic our lives become. There is room for us to embrace both the natural and the supernatural, the obvious and the mysterious, in our lives.

God’s love is practical, and it meets our needs. God’s love is also his very nature. It is greater than anything we can pin down in examples. It is like collecting cups of water to try to understand the ocean. May we be born of God by receiving the fullness that Christ offers. As we get to know him more, we will learn to balance the practicality of his lived-out love in our lives while still remaining students of the mysteries of his kingdom.

Jesus, in you I have found so much more satisfaction in life than I could have imagined apart from you. I am flesh and bone, and I am spirit. I am born of your kingdom, and I want to represent that fullness in every area of my life.

JANUARY 7

The Living Expression

The Living Expression became a man and lived among us! We gazed upon his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father overflowing with tender mercy and truth!

JOHN 1:14

The phrase that the Living Expression “became a man and lived among us” is literally translated “he pitched his tent among us.” In the Old Testament, God came down and lived in the tent of the tabernacle when his people were wandering in the wilderness. In the same way, Jesus came to the earth and pitched his tent among us. He is the literal presence of God with us. What a wonderful God he is to come to his people.

Jesus is the full expression of God’s character. If we want to know what the Father is truly like, we have to look no further than Christ. He operates in the power and love of God. He is full of purpose, living out the will of the Father. He is motivated by the passion of his heart. God is still overflowing with tender mercy and truth. Come to him and let him wash over you in the refreshing waters of his affection and wisdom.

Lord, you are worthy of my submission and my trust. I come to you with a heart open to receive from the abundance of your truth and love. Give me greater revelation of the Father as I look to you.

JANUARY 8

Grace upon Grace

From the overflow of his fullness we received grace heaped upon more grace!

JOHN 1:16

The grace of God is a gift. We cannot earn it, and we cannot disqualify ourselves from it. God freely gives it. There’s nothing stopping us from receiving it except perhaps...