Daily Devotions

John 1:14, 16

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father; full of grace and truth…And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for [upon] grace.

The grace of God is found in a person, Jesus Christ. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 8:9). Through His Son, the Father now proclaims His full message. "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son" (Hebrews 1:1-2). One of Jesus' titles is the Word. When He became a man, He was God's incarnate message, His Word to humanity. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." As the early disciples watched Jesus living His perfect life of godliness, they were looking at the glorious revelation of God's uniquely begotten (that is, virgin-born) Son. "And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father." His life was an overflowing demonstration of divine grace and truth: "full of grace and truth."

Jesus showed us the kind of life that God's grace could develop in us-a life of truth, a life of godly reality. Jesus came as the One to offer that fullness of grace to all who would trust in Him. Now for those who depend upon Him day by day, life is explained and developed "grace upon grace." God's grace first establishes a layer of forgiveness and spiritual new birth. Then, layers of growth, transformation, fruitfulness, victory, maturing, service, etc. are added as His grace is received by faith.

Taken from Hoekstra's Day by Day by Grace (January 2^nd)

II Corinthians 8:9

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

God wants us to know His grace. He wants us to learn about it, and then experience it at work in our lives. Grace has rightly been described as "unmerited favor." The acronym, "God's Riches At Christ's Expense" catches more of its majesty. Grace is God freely providing for us (as we trust in the work of His Son) all that we will ever need, all that we will ever yearn for, all that He has commanded us to walk in and become-realities that we could never produce on our own, could never earn, and could never deserve. Grace offers what every human desperately needs, but what God alone can provide.

This grace is found only in a person, the Lord Jesus. It is the "grace of our Lord Jesus Christ." Thus, it is accessible only through an ongoing personal relationship with Him.

Taken from Hoekstra's Day by Day by Grace (January 1st)