by Jean Nathalia
31 Dec – A New Joy
Dear friends,
As 2014 comes to an end, here's to new adventures and joy in 2015:)
God bless,
Jean
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1 John 2:18-21
Children, these are the last days;
you were told that an Antichrist must come,
and now several antichrists have already appeared;
we know from this that these are the last days.
Those rivals of Christ came out of our own number, but they had never really belonged;
if they had belonged, they would have stayed with us;
but they left us, to prove that not one of them
ever belonged to us.
But you have been anointed by the Holy One,
and have all received the knowledge.
It is not because you do not know the truth that I am writing to you
but rather because you know it already
and know that no lie can come from the truth.
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John 1:1-18
In the beginning was the Word:
and the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things came to be,
not one thing had its being but through him.
All that came to be had life in him
and that life was the light of men,
a light that shines in the dark,
a light that darkness could not overpower.
A man came, sent by God.
His name was John.
He came as a witness,
as a witness to speak for the light,
so that everyone might believe through him.
He was not the light,
only a witness to speak for the light.
The Word was the true light
that enlightens all men;
and he was coming into the world.
He was in the world
that had its being through him,
and the world did not know him.
He came to his own domain
and his own people did not accept him.
But to all who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to all who believe in the name of him
who was born not out of human stock
or urge of the flesh
or will of man
but of God himself.
The Word was made flesh,
he lived among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father,
full of grace and truth.
John appears as his witness. He proclaims:
‘This is the one of whom I said:
He who comes after me ranks before me
because he existed before me.’
Indeed, from his fullness we have, all of us, received –
yes, grace in return for grace,
since, though the Law was given through Moses,
grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God;
it is the only Son, who is nearest to the Father’s heart,
who has made him known.
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John appears as his witness. He proclaims: ‘This is the one of whom I said”
John is one of the most effective witnesses of Christ that we read about in the bible. His whole life was dedicated to a single purpose: to preach about the coming of Christ. He was faithful to this purpose throughout his life. Faithful to the point that he encouraged his own followers to continue their journey with Christ. It was never about himself but always about God’s will first.
I am not yet a parent but the thought of giving up my energy, my sleep, my free time, my youth, my money, and so much more, for the sake of my future children for the rest of my life is something that I find difficult to swallow. What will I get in return? What if I am abandoned in my old age? What is the point of sacrificing myself? Is it worth it?
According to economical principles, the answer is certainly no. According to self-preservation, no. According to a life of pleasure and luxury, no. But according to God’s plan, yes. Because unlike the world which teaches us to live for only ourselves, God tells us that the greatest joy is in living for another.
If I find it difficult to swallow, it means that I have yet to experience living completely for another. If I have never forgotten myself for the sake of another’s good, then I will never have tasted the joys and the peace that comes with such a life (in spite of the sacrifices that have to be made). Maybe this also explains why I am not looking forward to heaven yet – for I have never been to heaven and therefore do not know a different level of joy and elation can be mine.
I am clinging onto what is familiar to me, as though that is all that I will ever experience. What if life has so much more to offer? What if heaven has much more to offer? What if living for another completely has so much more to offer? What if forgetting myself may bring me the deepest joy that my heart has been seeking? It may not offer the same kind of pleasures and indulgences that self-preservation offers, but it may offer me something that once I taste, I may never want to look back to where I am today.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Jean Nathalia)
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Prayer: Jesus, I am comfortable in my current life, but I want to be open to the possibilities of life and an adventure with you. Open my heart like a child once more.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks to our parents for the sacrifices that they have made for us - even if they may not have done so perfectly.
