The Tension is Good

Read John 1:14

A few years ago the staff at Hope went to a conference for church leaders and the theme was "The Tension is Good."  Now maybe you're like us; when you read this you pause and think how is that true.  After hearing the speakers and listening to their illustrations it became clear to all of us that the tension is in fact good.

Most of us would consider tension a bad thing but when we have the right tension on a suspension bridge for instance the structure is strong and secure.  Well there's tension in the Bible over and over again.  John 1:14 speaks of a tension that exists which is not only important but necessary.  This tension is between grace and truth.  You see when Jesus came into this world and took on human flesh and lived among us, He came from the Father full of grace and truth.

When we think of grace and truth we tend to lean toward one or the other.  What we find is we desire truth for others and grace for ourselves, you know what I mean?  Read about Jesus' life and I'm convinced you will find story after story, interaction after interaction where He found the perfect tension between grace and truth.

In your life and mine, I believe we're to strike this perfect balance, call it tension when it comes to grace and truth.  Grace is extending God's riches at Christ's expense and truth is keeping it real according to the truth of God's word.  We are going to continue to wrestle with this because we are imperfect.  However, let's live like Jesus and learn the tension is good, especially when it comes to grace and truth.  This week desire and seek God's direction in areas of your life where grace and truth are needed.  And trust that God will equip us as followers of Jesus to be full of grace and truth.