Well, I hope that you have taken the challenge I gave you on Sunday to read the first chapter of the book of John everyday this week. If you haven’t, or if you didn’t know about it, you can read it now. It’ll only take a few minutes. Click here to go to John 1.

After reading verse 1, you might get confused if you don’t know that the word “Word” is actually referring to Jesus. John here echoes Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning…”, but the difference is that John identifies Jesus as existing eternally by using the words “WAS the Word…”. That word “was” shows that Jesus already WAS there before the world, the universe, before anything. And throughout the book of John, he focuses on the relationship between God the Father and God the Son.

Today, I’d like to look at verse 5: “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend (or understand) it.”

Have you ever felt misunderstood? Have you ever felt like what you were saying wasn’t being heard, or appreciated, or agreed with? What was it about?

I recently had one of our students tell me about a time when she shared her belief about something and people got really offended by what she was saying. It’s not that she was trying to be offensive; she was just speaking from her heart and was speaking the truth.

The truth about Jesus can sometimes be an offensive thing. As followers of Jesus, we’re not trying to be offensive. Of course not. But we’re also not supposed to be afraid of speaking the truth because someone might not agree with it.

Where in your life can you live the truth and speak the truth and shine the light, even if “the darkness does not understand it?”

Share your thoughts in the comment section, if you’re willing!