The Identity of the Word

14) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15) (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16) And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17) For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. —John 1:14-17


To the Jews in New Testament days, the term Word referred to the Word of God. The Word was the revelation that came from God. They had the written Old Testament. So the Word meant God’s revelation of Himself. It is brilliant that John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, didn’t coin some new term. His audience knew there was a Word. John made the connection: The Word is Jesus!

But because we don’t have the background, John’s language doesn’t click for us like it did in the first century. Hopefully now the point will be clearer to you when John says in John 1:14, “And the Word (the revelation of God; the rational principle by which everything exists, who is Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us.”

Isn’t Christianity revolutionary? Because Christianity says, Oh yeah, there’s a Word all right! Not unreachable or unknowable as the Greeks taught! Certainly the Source of all rational thought who created all the order in the universe. And His name is Jesus!

Jesus Christ is the Word of God who “became flesh.” That’s the headline of the Gospel—that God didn’t leave us in our sin but He came to do for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves.

Now John tells us his role as an eyewitness: “We have seen his glory.” But John means more than just seeing Jesus, the man. We saw and we recognized “his glory.”

Glory is God’s fingerprint; His signature. Glory is anything in the universe that indicates there is a God—whether it’s a beautiful mountain-scape or the stars at night or the human eye. Jesus’ life exuded glory!

John goes on to say, “Glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Now notice John didn’t focus on Jesus’ love and kindness, though He certainly had those traits. And he didn’t highlight Jesus’ obvious wisdom.

John, Jesus’ closest friend, reports, “The glory of Jesus was; He was “full of grace and truth.” Nothing He did with truth diminished His grace. And nothing Jesus did with grace diminished truth. He was full of grace and truth. That’s what I’m going for every day. I’m spending the rest of my life on that point. That’s the glory of Jesus—full of grace and full of truth.



Journal

Do I gravitate more toward grace or truth?

In what ways do I need to adjust so I’m seeking to have my life be marked by both grace and truth?



Prayer
Eternal Father, it doesn’t surprise me that Your Son was full of grace and truth, because He is the exact and full image of You. Because He emptied Himself, You have recognized His special role and given Him a name above every name. I gladly bow at His feet. And while I live on this earth I want to follow where He leads, longing to have Him generate His grace and truth in my life. In Jesus’ strong name, Amen.

(Via James MacDonald)

Be Blessed!

Dawn

Strength in Troubled Times

47) Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48) He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49) But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.  ~ Luke 6:47-49



Where will you turn in a time of crisis? When tragedy hits? When disaster strikes? Will it be your favorite magazine? The morning newspaper? The evening news? You will need something to give you strength and direction in your time of need—and you cannot find a better resource than the Word of God.

As one writer said, "One gem from that ocean is worth all of the pebbles from earthly streams." Just a single pebble from the ocean of God's Word can make all the difference when tragedy or hardship strikes. How many in their affliction have found comfort from the Scripture?

Trusting in what God has said through the Bible can sustain us and give us direction and hope and comfort when we most need it. Little platitudes or clever sayings don't help, but the Word of God does. It has been said that "he who rejects the Bible has nothing to live by. Neither does he have anything to die by."

Things go in and out of style, but the Word of God never goes out of style. It never goes out of date, unlike this morning's newspaper. The Word of God always will be relevant.

That is why C.S. Lewis once said, "Everything that is not eternal is eternally out of date."

I urge you to get a good foundation in this Book, because it is only a matter of time until hardship strikes you. It happens in every life, without exception. But if you have a good foundation in the Word of God, then you will be ready for difficulty when it comes. Don't wait until then to try and catch up.


Get that foundation now.     (Via Greg Laurie)   Be Blessed!   Dawn

Having Ears to Hear

Have you ever known someone who would call you on the telephone, talk what seemed like a thousand words a minute, and then, when he finished telling you what he needed to say, would hang up? Even before you had a chance to say a word, you heard a click.

Sadly, this is how many people treat God. They don’t stay on the line long enough to hear from Him. They pray to Him in a flurry of words, expressing needs and desires, but they miss the most important part of prayer: worship and listening for God’s still, small voice.

Prayer is a two-way form of communication. One of the reasons many avoid spending silent time in prayer is because they are afraid to hear what God has to say to them. They are sure that if they listen, He will say something that they don’t want to hear.

Someone has called American Christianity “decaffeinated Christianity.” If you think about it, decaffeinated Christianity won’t keep you awake at night. It won’t disturb you. It won’t motivate you, and it certainly won’t change you!

God is a gentleman. He will never force you to listen for His voice. He will never coerce you into meditating on His Word or taking time to pray. However, He will continue to draw you to Himself. Sometimes this is pleasant; other times it is not.

Allowing us to experience disappointment and frustration is one of the ways God gets our attention. If you feel as though you have been running away from God and prayer, ask yourself, “Isn’t it time I stop running and avoiding the Lord?” Great things come to us when we stop rushing and begin seeking God with a humble, obedient heart.







Prayer: Lord, please forgive me for rushing through prayer and not stopping to hear Your voice. I pray You would help calm my mind and heart to hear You each day. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.



“The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him” (Proverbs 15:8).