Day 38: The Fullness of His Dwelling
John 1:14
What a beautiful story . . . the Creator of the universe, who so intimately designed every part of the cosmos, also created us. Our God decided to come into our culture and way of being to empathize with you and me. His love for His children led Him to come to live among us. Even though our context was one of suffering, He still came. I love that He didn’t just come in part—instead, He came fully.
A whole person, conceived by God but held in the womb of a young woman to grow, Jesus relied on His creation to take care of Him (His humility is clearly greater than ours). He came as one of us, clothed in flesh and bearing the weight of suffering—our God lived with His people. He endured the full human experience: loss, rejection, embarrassment, love, and connection. Jesus bore all of these things to give all of humanity the image of the invisible God. Not only did He reveal to us His image, but He offered the invitation to be with Him.
His invitation is not just for us to come to Him, no; instead, He comes to dwell with us and in us. He conquered all of humanity’s sins so He can now live inside humanity. We are His home; our body, soul, and spirit all hold the presence of the God who made us. How great is our King, who came to be a missionary for you and me.
Reflection Prayer
Jesus, the Living Word, we take a moment to respond to You. You gave Your time, blood, and grief to share in the fellowship of suffering with Your children. Through Your suffering, You demonstrated Your heart to draw all people into an intimate moment-by-moment relationship with Yourself. Jesus, as we reflect on our own stories, we invite Your companionship into the different seasons of our lives—times of joy and loss, peace and chaos, rejection and adoption, knowing in all those experiences, You are with us. We thank You for Your nearness. Amen.
Week 6: The Grace and Mercy of God
The attributes of our great God are many, but His grace and mercy are perhaps two of His most generous. By His grace, and through His mercy, we have been saved—as He not only offers us salvation but secures it. Grace is a gift, and it is by His mercy that we receive such. The Greek word for grace is χάρις, meaning, “of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting His holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ.” The Greek word for mercy is ἔλεος, meaning, “kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them.” In so knowing the Lord, we recognize His kindness in loving us enough to offer Himself generously. May we love Him deeper as we know Him more.
— Hannah Castro