I introduced the feature, Sunday Branch last year and I plan to write 4-12 Sunday Branch posts this year. In between those posts, I’ve decided to do a spin off of posts which will be titled, “The Vine.”

Basically, these posts will be the notes that I’ve taken as I read through certain books of the bible. Some posts may be more or completely recaps than anything else. Other times, I’ll be trying to sort out through what I read. Sometimes, I’ll get it. Sometimes, I won’t. Sometimes, I’ll miss things that I’ll understand later. Maybe the day after. Maybe years later. Some posts will be very short. Others, very long. Each chapter will bring something very different than the one before.

What’s important in all of this is that no matter what I do and don’t get, I let the bible interpret the bible. That bears repeating. I let the bible interpret the bible. Not me. Not you. What I need to know on this journey in life is all there. I just have to open my eyes. And here’s what I see right now…

This month, I’m posting about the book of John.

Today, my notes refer to John 1 (Amplified Version).

Currently Listening To:
“Cannons” by Phil Wickham.

“Your Love is All Around” by Sons & Daughters

Note: While most posts will reference the verse that goes with each note, some posts, like this one, will not. You can read John 1 first and then the notes below, vice versa, or interchangeably.

Jesus is God.

Jesus has been present since before the world began. Remember, He’s part of the Holy Trinity. Think of this trinity as the only three pieces that complete the greatest puzzle of all time.

From the conception of time, Jesus was.

Note that Genesis 1:26 says And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. “Us” is God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. God made you and me and every being out of Jesus’s image. Out of His own image.

You are loved. God has great things planned for you.

John, the narrator of this book, had a revelation that Jesus loved him so. Once John got this revelation of this boundless love, he wanted to share that many times throughout the book of John. Open your eyes to God’s love all around you. It’s there. It’s everywhere.

Nazareth, where Jesus was born, was like the slums so many people didn’t think any good could come from that. But Jesus did.

God’s treasure (the people Jesus came for first) rejected the truth. What has been an in your face situation that you have been refusing to see/accept?

Tomorrow…John 2.