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E V E R Y D A Y L I G H T
Daily readings to help you see Jesus' light in your life
by Selwyn Hughes
The Great Divide
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." (v. 14)
-- For reading & meditation: John 1:1-18
We continue meditating on the fact that the Christian faith is unique
in that it is the Word not of a prophet but of the Son of God
Himself. And when I refer to the Son of God I mean also God the Son.
The Son is as much God as God Himself. One commentator says of the
verse before us today: "If I were to put my finger on the most
important verse in Scripture I would unhesitatingly put my finger on
this one: 'And the Word became flesh.' " This verse has been
described as "The Great Divide," because no other religion can claim
that the word they received from God became flesh. In all other
religions the essential element is a word become word - a philosophy,
a moralistic system, and so on. Only in Christianity does God appear
in human form; the Word become flesh. Early in my career as a
minister I found that whenever I tried to present the Christian
gospel to people of other faiths, everything I said brought the bland
reply: "Yes, what you say is good, but we have the same teaching in
our sacred books also." The Sermon on the Mount? Muslims have
something similar in the Qur'an. Turning the other cheek? Hindus
would reply: "Our sacred books tell us the same." Caring and
sensitivity to the needs of others? Buddhists would respond: "We
believe in that too, perhaps even more than you." Every issue I
raised had its parallel. I was puzzled. Where was Christianity's
uniqueness? Then it dawned upon me - the Incarnation. No other
religion has anything like the Incarnation.
PRAYER:
O God our Father, just to reflect on the Incarnation is to be filled
with amazement and joy. We are not knocking at the door of heaven.
You are knocking at the lowly doors of our hearts. How can such a
thing be true? Yet it is. I am so thankful. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
Isa. 9:1-6; 7:14; Gal. 4:4; Luke 1:30-33
1. How did Isaiah depict the Incarnation?
2. What was the message of the angel?
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devotional Every Day with Jesus - Treasure for the Heart for an
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Additional devotionals are available from Crosswalk.com:
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Copyright 2002 Selwyn Hughes, CWR, Waverley Abbey House,
Waverley Lane, Farnham, Surrey, England. Come to
http://link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.7.28249.2.1698058
for more inspirational devotions by Selwyn Hughes.
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