Grace — Week 1 – Tuesday
TODAY’S VERSE
John 1:14-15
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. (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.’”) (ESV)
My wife and I had a chance to travel out west back in October. While we both had been to Southern California, neither of us had been to the Bay Area. We visited some of the quaint communities of the North Bay and drove a few hours south to the Paso Robles area. We finished the trip with a couple of days in Yosemite National Park.
On our list of things to see were the giant redwoods. The challenge was trying to figure out exactly when and where to squeeze that in, so I decided to see if artificial intelligence could help. I plugged in our current location, indicated that we wanted to see some redwoods, how much time we had, and the location of our final destination for the day. Within seconds, AI responded back with the location of a grove of redwoods that was right on our way and perfectly suited for the amount of time we had. It also gave us specific details about what we could expect to experience, all of which proved to be accurate. I have a lot of questions about AI, but I was stunned with how helpful it was on that trip!
When God chose to begin revealing Jesus' identity, purpose, and ministry, He didn’t need AI to help formulate a plan. Instead, He used an unconventional preacher who spoke boldly and humbly about Who was coming and what was going to happen. God also used a former fisherman to tell the story. One theologian said a primary purpose of the Gospel of John was to definitively set the record straight as to who the Messiah was. Not John the Baptist, as many believed at the time, but Jesus. The first part of John’s Gospel is a highlight reel of what Jesus did. And John was the first to pair two words that have become inseparable as they relate to Jesus: grace and truth. Not grace or truth, or a little of each. Jesus was 100% both.
APPLICATION
We’re all wired differently. Some relate more to grace, others to truth. It’s important to have someone in our lives who can represent the area that’s not as automatic for us. Who is that person for you?
PRAYER
Father, only Jesus lived a perfect life of grace and truth. I want to stay connected to Him so that I, although imperfectly, can both receive and offer grace and truth to others.
