Session 1

What if God was one of us?

From John: A 21-Day Devotional

Jesus was with God when the world was created. He left heaven and entered the earth the way we did — through childbirth. Jesus was human, and He was an ordinary man. God sent John to announce Jesus’ arrival on earth.

The book of John records John’s account of Jesus’ life and ministry. In the beginning, we would expect to see a star, a manger, cattle lowing, angels singing, wise men, and the like. But in the sweeping introduction to John, John doesn’t tell of Jesus’ story but ours.

“Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3).

Jesus is the initiator of everything. The universe, our lives, our salvation—all were created and conceived by Jesus. As if that wasn’t enough, in the most surprising move of all, John says Jesus entered into His creation, becoming a living, breathing human and walking among us. Don’t miss this: Jesus became flesh and moved into the neighborhood He created. He played ball down the street with someone’s kids. He went to school and got hungry. He scratched up His knees and cried for His mother. He grew up and got a job. He had a real-life, human experience.

Why would He do such a thing? John sets out to answer this question for us. At a wedding, in a late-night debate, beside the drinking fountain, at the local hospital, with a downtrodden woman, at the funeral of a friend and in other situations — John shows us who God is. All along, Jesus risks us misunderstanding Him in order that He might initiate a relationship with us. He doesn’t initiate a relationship with us because we are worth it — He initiates a relationship with us to give us a life worth living. In light of all that Jesus has done, how should we live in response?

• What can you learn about Jesus from this chapter?
• Why is it important that Jesus lived as a man among us?
• What next step has God asked you to take? What keeps you from stepping forward?