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Read John 1:1-18

Memory Verse: John 1:14 "The word became flesh and made his dwelling amongst us... full of grace & truth?”

I’m a personality-type buff. I think it is fascinating how incredibly different everyone is from birth; how children from the same parents can be so different. Some people are more quiet. They are more agreeable, not wanting to upset anyone. Some of us have a natural ability to offend. We are outspoken; concerned at what we believe is the principle of the matter rather than just getting along. Some have a natural bent to grace. Some toward truth. The miracle of Jesus is that He comes to us. What a grace. Yet, He comes to us in grace AND truth because, the reality is, we need both.

A person who is more passive may be more graceful but, oftentimes, they just sit and listen. This might sound nice & polite, except sometimes love requires someone to correct us or challenge us to change or address something that may be a fatal flaw in our thinking or character. Others might be more likely to speak up and give us the “cold hard truth”. However, without knowing we are heard & loved it is incredibly difficult to receive these truths. We need both and the absence of one or the other is often insufficient for health and growth at the least and downright damaging at the worst.

In John it says, “The word became flesh”. He came to you. He is present in your pain & life. Grace! Yet, right after this statement, John points us to John the Baptist's message which was, “Repent! Change direction, for Jesus is here”.

If we had to put it concisely it might sound unkind. Unromantic. "I love you, now change!” For sure this statement would rub many the wrong way who believe we just should be accepting of everyone where they are at. Yet, take any scenario where someone may be hurting themselves and destroying their relationships, for instance in different types of addictions, and we would say, "I love you, now change.” Not because we are trying to control them and infringe upon their personal choices but because their personal choices are cutting short their ability to experience health and are damaging their relationships and others. "I love you, now change.” In this example, that is grace & truth.

Here is why it is not a harsh statement. It is not, "Change, then I will love you." Grace always comes before change with God.

It is actually His type of grace that allows us to change because we can trust He loves us already, right where we are at. Our change and our ability to hear truth can happen because we know we are loved. This safety of His love and faithful grace should give you freedom to change, freedom to take risks for Him and freedom to “fail” while trying to follow Him.

Out of this fact, we should change because we want to honor God by becoming more like Him. Not from fear but from a deep gratitude & love.

Challenge: Pray and meditate on John 1 and on His love for you today. He loves you because He loves you. Period. Listen while praying and write down any affirmations you sense from God while meditating on His love.

When you feel you can embrace His affirmations in prayer, then ask Him for the cold hard truths that He wants you to face. Write those down as well.

His grace will use that truth to build you up not tear you down, even if it is a hard truth to hear.