Favorite Passage Spotlight: John 1:1-14

“1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.

1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

1:7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

1:8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

This section at the beginning of John has always been a big favorite of mine.  There’s so much in it!    What an introduction to the story of our Savior.

Are there any parts of it that confuse you?  What are your favorite parts of it? 

Lessons Learned From... Jairus

Welcome to the Lessons Learned blog series! I gave an introduction to this series in its previous installment (located on Writing to Inspire; link to follow this article), and Hannah gave me a beautiful intro over here.

Let's just dive right into the goods, shall we?

Scripture Reference: Mark 5:21-43

Further Reading: Matthew 9:18-26; Luke 8:40-56

What does faith look like in the midst of a parent’s worst nightmare?

When Jairus’s twelve-year-old daughter lay dying, he chose to leave her side to seek help from Jesus, Who had recently performed many miracles and healed a plethora of people. Considering Jairus was “one of the rulers of the synagogue” (Mark 5:22), it may have been a tough choice from where he stood in the community. Synagogue leaders would have been expected to be knowledgeable about the Old Testament as well as the Jewish rules and customs. To admit that he had no answers as to how to help his own child might have been a blow to his human pride. Yet, he not only sought out Jesus but also “fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly” (Mark 5:22-23) to save his daughter’s life. The setting aside of pride made way for a beautiful display of sincere humility. Jairus didn’t care what the multitude of onlookers thought of one of their religious leaders begging on his knees on the dusty road; he only wanted his daughter to live.