To Behold His Glory (John 1:14-18)

Have you ever wondered why it is that we seem to have times when we struggle with truly living out the Christian life?  We have given our hearts to Christ, but we seem to keep failing Christ.  Perhaps you may struggle with truly believing and trusting Jesus with all of your life (the public and private aspects).  Whatever the struggle, it is still a struggle.  Well, let me tell you what I learned this morning.  In John 1:14-18 we read the following words:

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.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’”  And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

There are so many little lessons that are in these five verses, but one in particular has been my prayer for today.  We could talk about God, in the Person of Jesus, actually taking on the form of a human being with all its pains and struggles.  We could talk about the reality that Jesus must be "before us" in precedence if for no other reason than that as God's Son He was "before us" in existance, Divinity and holiness.  Yet, I believe among the most powerful statements that John makes here is that "we beheld His glory."  And that is what I think gets to the heart of our faith walk struggles.

I found myself actually reflecting on whether or not I have truly beheld the glory of the Father in the Person of Jesus Christ.  The word for beheld used in the Greek is the word theaomai
which can be taken to mean a few different things. 

1. To Look Clsely At - have I truly gazed on just who Jesus is.  The glory of the Father revealed and walking among us.  The One who knew no sin.  The One who is "full" of grace and truth.  That word full means to be complete and covered with. 
2.  To Percieve - Imagine truly becoming aware of Jesus with a personal understanding.  John talks about receiving the "fullness" of Christ.  The same root word as was used for Jesus being "full" of grace and truth.  To understand that the same completion that Jesus knew as the author and agent of grace can be ours.  We can become complete in Him through His grace.
3. To Visit - I ask myself, do I truly sit down with Jesus, and visit Him?  Get to know Him on a personal level?  Paul talks about knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection.  When you go to visit someone, ministerially speaking, the focus is the one you are visiting, not yourself.  How many of us spend our time with Jesus talking about ourselves and what we want?

It is my prayer that I can truly behold this One who is from the Father, of the Father, and sent by the Father.  To see Christ and all His glory is the first step to truly finding completion in Him; to gain the full value of His grace which is given to us.  To be complete as a man of God I must behold THE MAN and all His glory.

Father God, may I behold the glory of Christ in all of its life changing power.  May I find completion through Your grace and truth.  Amen.