Tag Archive for John 1:14

God with Us: Completed in Jesus

2016-01-21 Devotional with Hymn, Pictures of God No comments

from the devotional book, PICTURES OF GOD

Read John 1:14-18

As God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden (Genesis 3:8), Jesus came delighting to walk among His people.

As God was to Hagar the “God Who Sees” when He met her needs in the wilderness (Genesis 16:13), Jesus truly saw the needy all around Him, talking with them, touching them, healing them, and feeding them.

As God revealed His presence to the undeserving Jacob (Genesis 28:10-22), Jesus acted out God’s gracious presence and forgiveness to the most undeserving around Him, even those murdering Him (Luke 23:34).

As God came with fire, smoke, and awe-full terror on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19), Jesus came with gentleness and compassion, as one of us. Where the law brought condemnation on our weakness, Jesus brought grace and truth — the unfailing love and absolute dependability of our Heavenly Father (John 1:14-18).

As God tabernacled with His people in the wilderness (Exodus 25 – 40), Jesus tabernacled among us as God made flesh (John 1:14; see the NASB margin).

As the temple was for a time the symbol of God’s presence and rulership among His people (1 Kings 6:12-13), Jesus is the eternal reality of God’s presence and rulership among all who trust Him.

Jesus is
the Child born to us,
the Son given to us,
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Eternal Father, and
Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

He is the virgin’s son, the promise of our soon-coming deliverance. He is, now and forever, in every way, God with us (Isaiah 7:14).

Listen and sing:
Hymn: You Came to Us
Recording
Printed Music & Lyrics

Human

2013-11-10 Devotional with Hymn No comments

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, NIV)

God is holy.
We were born into sin. It is all we have ever known.

God is pure light.
As creatures of the darkness, we instinctively run from Him.

God is love.
In our selfishness we are suspicious of Him.

God is Spirit.
To us physical creatures, He seems unreal.

God is perfect wisdom.
To our ignorance, He seems foolish.

God is all in all, and He offers Himself to us freely and completely.
In ourselves, we cannot see, cannot know, and cannot accept Him.

But now God has crossed all the barriers between Him and us.
This Light,
this Love,
this Wisdom,
this God
has become a real human being.
This 100% God has become 100% flesh and blood
and has lived right here among us.
He has shared our daily routines, our temptations, our weaknesses, and
even our death.
He became a creature like us.

We look at Him in all His humanity,
and what do we see?
We see the glory of God Himself!
Creation, in all its magnificence, is only a faint reflection of all that God is.
Jesus is the Living God complete and at full strength.
He is exactly like God and exactly like us, all at the same time,
yet without our sin.

Because He became human,
humanity will never be the same again.
Jesus is the Second Adam,
the beginning of a whole new race,
a whole new possibility for each and every one of us.

Father,
You have removed everything that separates
You and me.
I don’t want to hold You at arm’s length any longer.
Help me to know You and trust You completely.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: You Came to Us
Recording
Printed Music & Lyrics