One of our core values at ABC is grace. John 1:14 says “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Son of God put on human flesh and walked in a fullness of truth AND grace. Most people are only strong in one of the two.
Some believers are strong in truth. They boldly proclaim what God’s Word says and do not fear drawing hard lines in the sand. However, some of these saints struggle to season their speech with salt, or have compassion for the lost. Other believers can be strong in grace. They are empathetic and compassionate, always considering the well-being of others. However, they care so much they are unwilling to communicate hard truth when they know it will hurt.
Jesus was miraculously able to do both perfectly. He was bold and prophetic, but he was gracious and kind. He called out sin, yet he spent time with sinners. Children found him to be winsome, and the lost found him to be warm. Admittedly, none of us will ever be perfect like Jesus, but we are called to do our best to imitate his example.
This means we must lift up the truth so all can see the light (Psalm 119:105), but we must also welcome others with the warmth of Jesus Christ. I am thankful to pastor a warm congregation. We have some of the most loving people on planet earth right here at ABC. However, we must not take that for granted. We must strive to maintain that culture and scale it as we grow.
Who can you be gracious to this week? Perhaps you could send a text message, a hand-written note, or a thoughtful gift. You could set aside time from your friends this Sunday to instead look for new people to welcome into our church. Oftentimes it is these little touches that shine the brightest. Go shine your light this week. Be gracious with others as Christ has been gracious with you.
Onward and Upward,
Dr. Jonathan Spencer
www.jonathanspencer.org 