Even though January feels like the longest month, it offers encouragement. When I read the time and date site1 for our area, we’ve gained 15 minutes of daylight since I posted last week. With sun instead of clouds, it feels like much more. 
Enough time has passed since the holidays that you might be ready to connect with friends again. Even if your interactions are limited due to illness, weather, or conflicting schedules, God invites us to spend time with him. Every day.
- He calls us through his Word—the written testimony about the Messiah.
- He invites us in spite of doubts and questions.
- He encourages us to believe he is the One True God with sincere faith.
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. … without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:1, 6)
- We hope for, in that we expect and desire, a relationship with Jesus.
- We are confident he will be with us, even though we don’t see him in human form.
- Our agreement with the previous two sentences proves we have faith, because they express our belief that God exists.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Jesus, Matthew 7:7).
How has God invited you to walk with him?
Read John 1:43-51.
- Jesus invited Philip.
- So far, Andrew, Peter, and Philip are all from the same (named) town.
- They already knew each other—would this potentially create cliques among the disciples?
- Philip referenced written testimony about the Messiah.
- Philip proclaimed the good news—the promised Anointed One has come—to Nathanael.
- “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites; and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him” (Deuteronomy 18:18).
- “I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them…” (Ezekiel 34:23-24).
- Philip invited Nathanael, and Nathanael expressed reasonable doubt under the circumstances.
- His question referred to a distinguished person, the “best,” coming from Nazareth, a town in Galilee people mocked and held in low esteem.2
- Jesus identified Nathanael’s personal view of himself and his pride, and also his honesty.
- Even before public ministry, Nathanael declared Jesus the Son of God, the true King of Israel.
- Jesus called people who believed without question to serve as his first disciples.
- Their strong faith and common background would enable them to convince others to follow Jesus by example.
- Jesus chided Nathanael for believing only after Jesus shined Light on his true heart—evidence.
- In following Jesus, Nathanael would see and understand that which is much greater, God’s glory in heaven and on earth.
How do you imagine three of Jesus’ followers being from the same town might benefit the disciples?
What do we learn about Philip in these verses?
If you were to write about Jesus, what would you write?
We learn quite a bit about Nathanael in these few verses. How do you envision his role as a disciple?
How is God’s glory in heaven and on earth greater than all else?
Even after Jesus shines his Light in our darkness and knows all about us and sees our selfish pride, he still invites us to follow him.
Our part is only to accept, to believe he is truly the Son of God.
Let’s open God’s invitation and step into life with him today.
- timeanddate, Vancouver, Washington, USA, https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/usa/vancouver
- Got Questions. https://www.gotquestions.org/can-anything-good-come-out-of-Nazareth.html