John 1:1-18
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him.
Without him was not anything made that has been made. 4 In him
was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the
darkness, and the darkness hasn't overcome it. 6 There came a man, sent from
God, whose name was John. 7 The same came as a witness, that he might testify
about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light,
but was sent that he might testify about the light. 9 The true light that
enlightens everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the
world was made through him, and the world didn't recognize him. 11 He came to
his own, and those who were his own didn't receive him. 12 But as many as
received him, to them he gave the right to become God's children, to those who
believe in his name: 13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 The Word became flesh, and lived
among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the
Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testified about him. He cried out,
saying, "This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed
me, for he was before me.'" 16 From
his fullness we all received grace upon grace. 17 For the law
was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18
No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of
the Father, he has declared him. (John 1:1-18)
Food for thought!
As we come closer to the end of one more year and the
beginning of another, we are offered this gospel reading to remind us “All
things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been
made.” Yes, everything was made through Jesus because without him we can do
nothing, as himself told us: “I am the vine. You are the branches. He who
remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you
can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
It means that all we achieved this year, as always, was
through Jesus our Lord. We, therefore, do well on this last day of the year to
look at our achievements and acknowledge the Lord for them. Be thankful of your
achievements and your gains and profits. What you did was thanks to Jesus. He
was there since the beginning; everything was done through him; there was
nothing that was done without him.
Jesus is always there, whether we recognize him whether we
don't. When we do, however, he gives us the right to become children of God.
Once we do recognize him, we become God's favourites, who operate as Jesus
himself; we become partners of Jesus, enjoying special protection, privileges and
favours. Once we become like Jesus, everything changes; even our
failures. In the Lord we are always conquerors even when we apparently seem to
fail.
As St. Paul reminds us in 2nd Corinthians 4:8-9, "We
have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We do not know what to
do, but we do not give up the hope of living. We are persecuted, but God does
not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed." These
words apply only to the children of God.
We know that for the children of God “all things work
together for good” (Rom 8:28). Romans 8:28 is all-inclusive, all-powerful, as
the God who signed and sealed it. It’s as loving as the Savior who died to
unleash it. It touches any hurt and redeems any problem you encountered in 2015.
It isn’t a mere platitude but a divine promise. It isn’t a goal but a
guarantee. It isn’t wishful thinking but a shaft of almighty providence that
lands squarely on our pathway each day and every moment. It turns problems
inside out, transforming bad things to blessings and converting trials into
triumphs.
Think of the problems, burdens, heartaches, and
disappointments of your life in 2015. Is any one of them beyond the reach of
Romans 8:28? Can there possibly be a trial that isn’t covered by Romans 8:28?
No, not one. Believe me, that from God’s perspective ALL THINGS that happened
to you in 2015 worked together for good. As Charles R. Erdman said, “All things
work together for good not by inherent force, not by fate or chance, but by
divine control.” Life, someone said, is like the Hebrew language. It can only
be read backward. Looking back, we see the hand of God with thanksgiving. As
Søren Kierkegaard famously said, “Life must be lived forward; it can only be
understood backwards.”
Today we are ending one more year. One day, we shall end one
life, our life. Then, as we stand upon the heights of glory, we shall look back
with joy on the things we have suffered, for we shall know then that our
severest trials were a part of the “all things” which worked together for
eternal good.
Not only should you end the year with Romans 8:28, you must
begin 2016 through the prism of Romans 8:28 and say, “In 2016, all things may
appear to be against me, but according to God’s Word, all these things will
work themselves out for my good in God’s timing and providence.” All things
include bad financial reports, personal mistakes, misunderstandings, and even
tragedies. God can make all, and does make all, work ultimately for our good.
Even our hang-ups, sins, and moral failures are part of the “all things” of
Romans 8:28.
If in 2015 you’ve made mistakes in your life, don’t wallow
in them anymore. Give them all to God. He alone knows how to turn poison into
porridge, mistakes into masterpieces, snafus into songs, and errors into
alleluias.
Romans 8:28 is an all-inclusive promise. Nothing is excluded
from the invitation. No problem is too small for His notice; none is too large
for His power. The tremendous events of life and the tragic ones. Each and
every problem is His concern. He can handle them, and we’re to give them all to
Him in total trust, for His is the word of a perfect gentleman. All is the
biggest word in this verse. Not some things, a few things, a lot of things,
select things, good things, bad things, sad things, or funny things—but all
things. There is no asterisk on the word “all.” There are no exceptions or
exemptions. All means all.
All things were made through him.
Without him was not anything made that has been made.
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