Detecting Christmas December 30 Devotional

1 john 1:14, 16-18 | ¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. 

¹⁶ From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷ The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

The glory of God can be communicated and imparted. Some glory belongs only to its subject, it can be seen and admired but it is privately possessed and cannot be shared. The glories of nature or art have this capacity. But God’s glory can be shared in the form of his grace and truth. The truth about our need and brokenness makes way for the grace of God to enter and claim us. Jesus spoke and demonstrated this truth and nevertheless showed God’s marvelous love in word and deed. He made it universally available by dying and rising and giving God’s spirit to us. God’s glory is now transferable to us, not like the temporary glow Moses got from meeting God on a mountain, but as a permanent living feature of our personalities. We can shine with his goodness and presence despite our flaws, because we of his presence in us, and his willingness to share “grace upon grace.”

Jesus came to make us glorious! Shine today!

Gracious God,

Help us to seek and share your grace today. May we shine with your presence. Amen.