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.