FRIDAY: IT IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS

Dec 30, 2022
2 min read

Lord, thank You for my close relationship with You. I want to continue to grow in Your grace and learn Your truth, so I can also teach others.

John 1:17-18

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

It is all about relationships. Jesus is in the closest relationship with God the Father, and He wants to have a close relationship with me, as well. The reason for the close relationship is to show me His love.

Jesus shows His love in two ways. The first way is through His grace. He saw my plight—I was lost in sin with no way to have a relationship with Him. Rather than only upholding the law and therefore banishing me from His presence and heaven, He did something spectacular because of His great love for me. God sent Jesus to this earth to pay the price required by the law for my sin through His death and resurrection, so the law of God is upheld, and grace also abounds.

I learn truth from the law; I learn the specific things God does not want me to do. The things I do in disobedience to God come from a motive of pride and selfishness, which leads to anger, bitterness, anxiety, and fear. These things combined lead to a life of hopelessness, which turns my mind toward myself and away from God. Without hope, I doubt God has the power to change my life. These are not things God wants in my life; He wants me to turn from sinful ways and turn toward His Way. This Way is found in an ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ.

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS: Jesus teaches me all about His Father, when I listen to Him. He will make the Father known. Since I have never seen God, the Son is the one and only Way through which I can get to know Him.

Jesus came to teach me about His grace and His truth. Through His truth, I learn to trust, listen, and obey Him, avoid sin, and give God praise. Through His love, I find He has obeyed the Father by paying the price for my sin, so I can live with Him in a relationship forever.

This life is not about me; it is all about Jesus! When I do what He says, I am fulfilled and in a harmonious relationship with Him; when I resist, I am not fulfilled. Then the loneliness I feel from the separation sinks in, and it is harder to hear His voice.

Lord, I pray You will keep me close to Yourself by reminding me of Your promises every day. I thank You and praise You for instilling Your grace and Your truth into my heart!

May you be blessed,

Chaplain Wayne Ruckman