July 11

JESUS IS THE SUBJECT

In all of the history of humankind, no life has had a greater impact on the world than the life of Jesus Christ, not to mention the eternal impact of His death and resurrection. In His short time in this world, Jesus forever changed our view of God, the world, eternity, and salvation. He gave us a glimpse into the heart and mind of God and allowed us to approach God and to know Him in a way that had never been possible before. Through His perfect example of a life, He showed us how to live, how to love, how to serve, how to pray, and how to humbly submit to God’s perfect will. He truly is the Master Teacher, Great Physician, Lion of Judah, Lamb of God, our Shepherd, Friends, Messiah, Savior, and Lord.

So important and life-changing was the life, influence, and saving work of Jesus that God saw fit to preserve not one or two but four eye witness accounts for us to learn from. Each of those four gospel accounts is written to a specific audience and for a specific person. As these men tell the story of Jesus through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and from their own perspectives, they each add a new and different dimension to our understanding of the life of Christ. While they do not record every word or action of Jesus during His time in this world, these four accounts come together to paint for us a beautiful picture of the perfect life, atoning death, and victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. The apostle John wrote, toward the end of his account of Jesus’ life, concerning the many signs and works of Jesus that were recorded for us that “these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31). The four gospel accounts provide not only a beautiful story of god’s love, but are also a powerful testament to the wisdom of God and to His desire for us to know His Son in a deep and meaningful way.

This 365 day devotional blog represents an attempt to combine all four gospel accounts in order to fully examine the recorded life of Christ in chronological order from beginning to end. While I cannot assure you that every event is in exactly the right place in the timeline of Jesus’ life, these four accounts readings are placed in such an order that will allow you to gain a greater understanding of the relationship between the gospels as they relate to the events in the life of our Lord.

Finally, it is my prayer that these daily devotionals serve as a springboard to launch you into more and deeper Bible study. While some might view the shortness of these readings as a shortcoming, I am of the belief that these readings short passages allow you to explore the text in more detail and to get nuggets of truth and understanding that might otherwise be overlooked. Likewise, the thoughts that are given are just mine. Read them, consider them, and then meditate on the passage with the intent of increasing your own understanding. Most of all, remember that Jesus is the Subject. My prayer is that through these devotionals, you will come to know Him, appreciate Him, love Him, and follow Him in a much fuller and better way.

To God Be the Glory!

The 365-day journey begins tomorrow!