God with Skin On

In Daily Devotional by Greg Laurie

Theme of the Week: Walking with Jesus

Bible Verse: “I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20b CSB

Scripture Reading: John 1:1-18

We live in a world filled with gods. So we need to understand what makes Jesus so unique. He wasn’t a man becoming a god; that’s impossible. He was God who became a man. Sometimes we view God as distant and unapproachable, but our God is the one who loved us so much he wanted to live among us.

It reminds me of a story I heard about a little boy who was frightened one night during a great thunderstorm. He called out to his father from his bedroom and said, “Daddy, I’m scared. Come in here.” His dad, who had settled in for the night and wanted to go to sleep, told the little boy, “Son, it’s all right. God is with you in that room right now. You’re okay.” There was a moment of silence. Then the little boy shot back, “Dad, right now I need someone with skin on.” That’s exactly who Jesus was. He was God with skin on.

John’s Gospel doesn’t start with the birth of John the Baptist or even the birth of Jesus. He goes back to the time before there was a little town called Bethlehem, and even before there was a garden called Eden. He even goes back to a time before there was a planet called Earth. John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John is pointing out the fact that, even before the creation of the universe, Jesus was always there. John isn’t suggesting that Jesus had a beginning, because Jesus, being God, is eternal. Rather, Jesus has no beginning. He has no end.

Our God put on skin and lived with us. God did this because he is passionate about us and wants to be in a relationship with us. The Word became flesh. The Word lived among us.

God is longing for fellowship with humanity. Why is that? Some would say it is because God is lonely. But God isn’t lonely. God doesn’t need fellowship with you or me. Yet, at the same time, he does desire it. The Almighty God is among us. Isn’t that amazing?


From Walking With Jesus: Daily Inspiration From The Gospel Of John by Greg Laurie. Copyright ©2007 by Greg Laurie. Used by permission of Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, MI. http://bakerpublishinggroup.com

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About
Greg Laurie
Greg Laurie is the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship with campuses in California and Hawaii. He began his pastoral ministry at the age of 19 by leading a Bible study of 30 people. Since then, God has transformed that small group into a church of some 15,000 people. Today, Harvest is one of the largest churches in America, and consistently ranks among the most influential churches in the country.
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Greg Laurie
Greg Laurie is the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship with campuses in California and Hawaii. He began his pastoral ministry at the age of 19 by leading a Bible study of 30 people. Since then, God has transformed that small group into a church of some 15,000 people. Today, Harvest is one of the largest churches in America, and consistently ranks among the most influential churches in the country.