John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among men. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
God Incarnate: JESUS. From spending time with our beginner worship students (ages 7-12) I learned the importance of truly understanding "God Incarnate". These seven year olds were so intrigued when we began opening up scripture and allowing it to teach us this character trait of God. SO, let's understand this by breaking it down like I did with them.
GOD: 1. The Father: Over all mankind. Maker of heaven and earth. The one over all and the one who sits on the highest throne. 2. The Son: Jesus Christ. The Word turned into flesh. The world's only perfect being. The one who died on the cross for our sins. The One who defeated death and conquered the grave. 3. The Holy Spirit: Acts 1:8. God's voice. The one who lives and moves inside of us.
INCARNATE:
Worldly definition: embodied in flesh; becoming human form.
When you combine the two you get "God in human form" which is the perfect description of our JESUS. Now, reread John 1:14 (stated at the beginning of this blog). God's Word perfectly describes who Jesus was meant to be. God Incarnate. And we have the perfect opportunity to proclaim this message, worship God Himself, and allow our little people around us to be His messengers during our annual performance of "The Story" on December 4 and 5. Gives me chills every time I think about it!
1 Timothy 4:12 "Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be the example in your life, love, faith, and in purity."
Ballerinas, you have power inside of you. The power of the Holy Spirit. Do not think for a second because you are little and young that you are not able to be used for the Kingdom yet. Tap into that power inside of you, allow Jesus to SHINE through you and watch that power change lives! The day is coming... be ready for show day my girls! Because I can feel that Jesus is up to something incredible!
Challenge to Moms and our older girls: The second part of our verse speaks of The Father who is full of grace and truth. He holds the perfect balance by being FULL of grace and FULL of truth. These are two characteristics we will never be able to perfectly balance. However, as we go about our daily lives may we strive to be like Jesus. May we strive to show grace while holding tightly to His truth. I think back at all of the adversities I have come about in my life. When I think back at those moments I wish I would have understood this a little more. Maybe instead of responding in anger or lashing out from a hurt heart I would have stopped, turned to His Truth, sat and relied on God's Word to take over, and then responded with grace instead of anger. Maybe then I would have saved myself from a lot of hurt. My encouragement is that we all strive to be a little more like the God Incarnate, full of grace and truth. In moments of pain and suffering, or even in times where we lack of direction and need guidance, may we stop, open God's Word, find time for His Truth to seep in, and respond with His grace while being full of His Truth.
Let's go about this week remembering the God Incarnate. And remembering that we have His power inside of us and the opportunity to sit at the feet of the one full of grace and truth.