May 30, 2013 - John 1:16

            From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.  John 1:16 

            John, who was an eye-witness disciple of Jesus, wrote this account of the life of Jesus to a church that was alive, yet struggling under persecution.  Oppression and hardship was a regular part of life.  In this verse, John is talking about a Presence that all the believers in Jesus of his day had within.  It was this fullness of His grace that indwelt each follower.  In the light of the violence they faced, having His grace and presence was truly a blessing, one after another!  It is hard for us to get our minds around the blessing that this must have been to them because of the dramatic difference they experienced in comparison to the relative peace and freedom that we have in our daily lives.  These blessings were even more significant to these early followers of Jesus than they are for us today.

            Oftentimes when I think of the blessings that I have received, I get wrapped up in things, like a house to shelter me, food to feed me, a car to transport me, and a TV on which to watch ESPN.  Or I think of health issues, job issues, relationship issues, and so forth.  It is usually all about ME, or if I’m really “selfless”, it’s about WE – me, my wife and kids, and family, but…it’s, still, all about me – and neither about He Himself, or the blessings of the peace that comes from His presence within.  It is my hope that my life becomes less about me and more about Him and the fullness of His grace working within men and through me.

            Questions to consider: What does it mean for you to receive “the fullness of His grace?”  What does it mean to receive “one blessing after another?”  How is your experience similar to those early followers of Jesus?  How is it different?  How does this apply to your life?

            Prayer: Father, help me to not get so wrapped up in how I can be blessed by You, but instead how I can be a blessing for You.  Help me to experience what it means to walk in “the fullness of (Your) grace.  Amen.

May 23, 2013 - John 1:14

            The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.  We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:14

            In the first section of his account of the life of Jesus, John gives us a manifesto of God’s invasion, in which He begins the reclamation of His territory. Verse 14 is the declaration of His kingdom come to earth.  The Word became flesh in Jesus, and the glory of God became human and lived with us.  Jesus was from the Father, and He was full of grace and full of truth. 

            Grace without truth is, as I’ve heard it stated, “sloppy agape”, and truth without grace is cruel and harsh.  It’s necessary to have both working in concert with the other.  This is true whether on a large, macro scale, such as considering how the worldwide Church functions, or on a personal scale, as in how I treat the people who live next door.

            I have done both grace and truth, each, on their own.  When I was full of grace but limited truth, I accepted any behavior or action without judgment, and when I was full of truth but very little grace, I became very critical and judgmental about various behaviors.  My struggle is to have the two – grace and truth – in balance.  I have much to learn from Jesus’ example of being “from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

            Questions to consider: Do you tend to lean towards being full of grace or of truth?  How do you move towards having grace and truth in balance?  Is this something that we, humans, can do on our own, or does it take power from on high?  Why is that?

            Prayer: Father, I struggle to have grace and truth in balance with one another, as Jesus modeled this for us.  Please help me and strengthen me to bring this into balance.  Amen.

May 16, 2013 - John 1:14

            The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.  We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:14

            The Word became “flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood,” as Eugene Peterson stated in The Message.  Clarence Jordan, the author of The Cotton Patch Gospel and the founder of Koinonia Farm in Americus, Georgia, translated this verse by saying that the Word “moved into the trailer-park.”  God didn’t just show up in a place of honor and prestige, like earthly kings.  He arrived in utter poverty, and was born to a young teenage girl and her struggling husband.  Jesus was born in an animal stable, and His first crib was a feeding trough.  From the very beginning, Jesus could identify with any and all people, no matter their situation in life.  Jesus moved into humanity’s trailer-park, mess and all!

            Jesus moved in and “made His dwelling among us.”  That isn’t just for those people way back 2000 years ago.  It also means that Jesus moved in with you and me.  He moved into our neighborhood.  He identified and experienced life situations similar to those we go through.  The Scriptures say that Jesus was tempted, just like us, yet He didn’t sin.  And He comes to reside with us – with you and me.  How does He do this?  He does this through the Holy Spirit, who came so that each of us could experience the presence of Jesus being with us wherever we go and in whatever we do.  If we allow Him, Jesus will make His dwelling within our hearts.

            Questions to consider: Has Jesus moved into your neighborhood?  If so, how is that working for you?  If not, what’s holding you back from allowing Him to move in?  How has it helped you to have Jesus in your neighborhood?

            Prayer: Father, thank You for agreeing to send Jesus, Your Son, to move into my trailer-park.  Please help me to make it into a more welcoming, loving community.  Amen.

May 9, 2013 - John 1:12

            Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.  John 1:12

            Jesus, God’s only Son, came to live among humanity and gave opportunity for all to receive Him.  Yet John tells us that the world, (meaning most of humanity), chose not to believe and, hence, did not receive Him.  Everyone that did believe in Jesus was given the “right to become children of God.”  Becoming God’s child is something that was, and is, given; not earned.  There was nothing that could be done to earn our way into becoming a child of God, and there was no way that we could become His child on our own.  It was only in receiving Jesus, and becoming His follower, that we all were given the privilege of being brought into His family.

            For years, I struggled with the thought of being God’s child and of thinking of God as my Father.  Because of issues with my family of origin, I did not have a good view of God as my heavenly Father.  Oh, I knew intellectually that God was my Father, but in my heart, I was very guarded.  Not too long ago, I believe that God allowed me to have a more personal encounter with Him, and I experienced His love washing over me and felt His embrace as a father embraces his child.  My heart was changed!  I felt, in a new and refreshing way, that I had receive Him and believed in His name – Father….my Father.

            Questions to consider: What does it mean for you to receive God and to believe in His name?  Do you know what it feels like to be God’s child?  What story from your life can you tell that expresses how you have received God as your Father?

            Prayer: Thank You, Father, for loving me and receiving me as Your child.  Help me to live my life with the full awareness of being Your child.  Amen.

May 2, 2013 - John 1:10

            He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  John 1:10

            In the beginning, God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, created the earth, and it was empty and formless.  Darkness loomed over it, and the Spirit of God started to breathe life onto it, and the world began to be created.  Jesus, the Son, was in the center of creating the universe, including the earth as we know it.  And yet the world did not recognize Him as the creator of all.  It wasn’t that that world didn’t see Jesus as Creator; the world did not accept or appreciate that Jesus was God’s Only Son and Lord of All.  In fact, the world was defiantly hostile to the Word of God becoming flesh and blood in Jesus and it tried to crush Him at every turn.

            When I personalize this verse, I realize that, even though I have been a follower of Jesus for 42 years, I feel like I haven’t gone too far in this journey, and I realize that I still have so much to learn and so far to go.  It seems that my flesh, like the world, is hostile to the Word becoming flesh in my life.  I continue to have struggles in my body and my mind in which I am continually fighting against God’s presence in my life  It is an on-going war, and while I am seeing victories and know that the ultimate war has been won, I still battle on a daily basis.  Thank God that His kingdom continues to advance in my life, and one day I will be ushered into His presence and will be free from any more battles.

            Questions to consider: Where in your life is the battle being waged between the world and the Word?  How do you (or can you) gain victory over the world’s influence and victory over the world not recognizing Jesus in you?

            Prayer: Father, help me to recognize You wherever You try to guide me in my journey.  Strengthen me for the battles that I am still fighting.  Amen.