Where are You staying?

I began reading the book of John again today. I've been skipping around a bit lately, and find that I need to come back and read a book from beginning to end sometimes. I haven't read John in a while, and felt like it would be a good place to land.

The challenge sometimes is to read the Bible like you're reading it for the first time. To try and listen to the word play and phrases, to watch for the pictures being painted. Have you read John chapter 1 lately? Wow! Reading through it this morning, I love how John slowly paints this picture of this amazing One who made everything, only to have everything He made completely miss the fact that He had come. He doesn't give away Jesus' name until verse 17, building tension and mystery around this amazing one who came to make a few people His children. It's such a cool telling of story.

Then there is John the Baptist. I mean, John the writer introduces Jesus, and then dumps Him right back out of the story, jumping over to John the Baptist. John the Baptist has to go so far out of his way to convince everyone that he isn't the Christ, but they don't seem to want to believe him when he points Jesus out as the one they are seeking. It's this beautiful retelling of the first part of chapter one.

Then he gets to Jesus, and a few people take John the Baptist at his word and begin to follow Jesus. But they are just the common people. The religious guys from verse 24 are nowhere to be seen. It's the common men who find Jesus and follow him. Andrew, Peter, and Phillip.

Reading this makes me want to fall in love with Jesus all over again. What an amazing One who would come, facing such rejection from the very people He created. He is rejected, even though He clearly will take in anyone who comes seeking Him. He is not a picky friend, that seems clear in this first chapter.

He does this same thing for me everyday. He creates me, holding me together, knitting my thoughts and dreams for me. Then I chase everything and everyone else around, ignoring the one who sustains me while I run. What a moron I can be! I want to be like Andrew, running after Jesus, asking where He is going so I can go and hang out with him (1:39). That's my prayer for the day, to chase Him and spend time with Him.