Why Everything Begins With Jesus
Rev. Aniekan "Mbomboyo" Okokon ·
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. — John 1:1
John opens his Gospel where Genesis opens the Bible: in the beginning. But where Genesis says "God created", John says "the Word was". Before anything was made, Jesus was. Creation began with Him. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.
That is the first reason everything begins with Jesus: because, as a matter of fact, it did.
The beginning of every story
Scripture begins with Him - the Word by whom the worlds were spoken. Israel begins with Him - the promised seed, the Passover lamb, the rock in the wilderness. The church begins with Him - "on this rock I will build my church." Your salvation begins with Him - not with your decision, which came late, but with His love, which came first. Even your ordinary day begins with Him, because in Him you live and move and have your being, whether or not you have noticed by breakfast.
What goes wrong when we start elsewhere
- Start with yourself and the Gospel becomes a self-help programme with God as consultant.
- Start with rules and Christianity becomes a religion, with Christ as its founder rather than its life.
- Start with experience and faith rises and falls with your feelings.
- Start with the church and you end up serving an institution instead of a Person.
None of these starting points is wicked. They are simply not the beginning, and a building set on the wrong foundation leans no matter how well it is built.
Beginning again with Him
The practical question is what this looks like on a Monday. It looks like reading Scripture to meet Him, not to complete a plan. Praying to Him before planning without Him. Making decisions by asking what He is doing rather than what you can manage. Treating people as those He died for before treating them as helpful or unhelpful to you.
Everything begins with Jesus because everything is His. The Word was in the beginning, and the Word is with you now. Begin there, and the rest of the day has somewhere to stand.