When we are in culturally accepted “gray” areas of living, we always need to ask God what is His grace and truth for the cultural area of concern. We see so much of the Father’s grace, and truth revealed and spoken through Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus will answer our heart’s cry for the Father’s grace and truth.

It has been said; You are the product of your environment. W. Clement Stone (1902—2002) said this one hundred years ago. That is a reasonable observation of describing how our surroundings influence us. Two thousand years ago, John the Baptizer was aware of the influence of his own human self that detracted him from following Jesus Christ. John the Baptizer said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

That is the life our Father desires of all of His children, those that have in them the life of Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God.

When we are living in a relationship with our heavenly Father, here on earth, we will always have tension as we live out His Eternal Life in us in relationship with those in the environment around us.

How are we to live our personal and body-of-Christ lives in our neighborhoods and networks? How are we to let the life of Jesus Christ be ever-increasing in us, in our body here at WCF, and be ever decreasing of our own detracting self-influence? We need to ask the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ for every and all concerns.

Jesus, full of grace and truth, will answer us with grace and truth. And when Jesus does answer you in grace and truth, embrace that grace and truth, let it transform your reasoning (Rom. 12:2.) We should answer our own thoughts and feelings, as well as those around us, with the grace and truth we have received from Jesus Christ.