Luke 3:1-6
1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. 3He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
"A voice of one calling in the desert,
'Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
5Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
6And all mankind will see God's salvation.' "
Deuteronomy 30:11-20
The Offer of Life or Death
11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.
15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
John 1:1-5
The Word Became Flesh
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
The Bible is the Word of God...The Bible is about Jesus...
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God...He was with God in the beginning..Through the Word all things are made, were made, and nothing was made without Him...
Now what I am commanding you today to believe in is not too difficult..It is not beyond your reach...(Believe in the Word)...It is not up in heaven, so you have to ask, must I have to go to heaven to get it...Nor is it in the sea , so you have to ask must I cross the sea to get it...No, the Word is very near...The Word is always near us...The Word is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it...He would be called Immanuel, which means God with us...The Word is here...The Word is always with you...
Sometimes I think we forget this, since we are removed from the Word by 2000 years...Festus sums it up for us (and we must not forget), when St. Paul was on trial before him...St. Paul was not on trial because of something he did wrong...Festus tells us, he was on trial because of something he believed, "about a dead man named Jesus who (he) claims is alive (Acts 25:19)."...As St. Paul's faith allowed him to believe this, we must also believe...The Word being alive, is why and the how He is near...
As is written in the book of Words of Isaiah, prepare the way for the LORD...When they hear the Word, all mankind will see God's salvation... This Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us...If we believe in the Word and the One who sent Him, then the LORD your God then we will not perish, but have eternal life...
But if we turn our hearts away from the Word...Then His nearness will seem far, the Word seems drifted, away, and less real...The Word, then, will seem only as a word on a page, and not a feeling of love and goodness...If we love God and listen to His voice, His Son, the Word we will be blessed...Then the LORD will give us many years in life, as He swore to our patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob...