SCRIPTURE: John 5
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. [John 5:17-18]
Jesus describes the very unique relationship that He was with God, and this made many of the Jews upset.
How dare Jesus identify Himself with God like this; to say that His work is God’s work, to say that He is the One that will judge people, and give them eternal life – this is blasphemous!!!
This is how I see Jesus, this is what draws me to Him: I see God in Jesus, I see what God is all about – compassion, mercy, self-denial, sacrifice generosity, grace, justice, truth.
It is a mind-boggling concept to try to grasp, but when the people saw the human Jesus, they were looking at God in the flesh, the perfect blend of God and humanity, in perfect harmony and fellowship.
Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. [John 5:19]

If Jesus is equal to God, if Jesus is God at work in the world, then it is critical that we focus on Him, listen to Him.
I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. [John 5:24]
This makes Jesus then most important person in the world – next to (or along with) God.
This means that our relationship with Jesus is the most important relationship for us, the one that we should seek to develop and strengthen more than any other (even before spouse and family).
Jesus does not replace God at the center of our life; Jesus is God at the center of our life!
I admit, it does get tricky: do we pray to the Father, or the Son, or the Spirit, or all three at the same time?
I’ve given up trying to separate them; I just allow the situation to determine which One I name in prayer; I see them together as the perfect blend and relate to all three at the same time.
But because God has especially chosen to reveal Himself through Jesus, I usually focus especially on Him!

One more thing; I am concerned that Christians today focus too much on the bible, and not enough on Jesus.
You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. [John 5:39-40]
The bible is not the way, the truth and the life – Jesus is!
The bible is a God-inspired, human-authored testimony to Jesus, intended to lead us to Him, so that we relate personally with Him.
At best, the bible is a meeting place for us to spend time with the Lord.
Studying the bible, memorizing bible verses, delving into the complicated details of difficult passages or biblical issues, these can become dangerous distractions to actually being with Jesus, talking with Him, and working with Him.
Yes, they can help us in our relationship with Him, but we need to be very careful that the bible does not replace Him at the center of our lives: these are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. [John 5:40]
Have you spent time with Jesus today, have you talked with Him, has He directed your heart through prayer and bible-reading, and are you working with Him, doing His work?

PRAYER:
Lord, You are God to me… in the flesh. When I see You, relate to You, hear You (through prayer, the bible and the voice of the Spirit in my heart), I am relating to God. I want to come to You to have life!