Glory Revealed

John 1:10–14 (NIV)

During the Christmas season we are celebrating reflecting the glory of God. Revelation means to reveal, to unveil, or to make something known. From the very beginning, God has been revealing Himself — not just His power, but His heart, His plan, and His desire to be known by us. Jesus is the clearest revelation of God we will ever see. If you want to know what God is like, how He feels about humanity, how He treats sin, how He responds to suffering, or how deeply He loves — you look at Jesus. That is where God's glory is revealed to us.

John tells us something sobering and beautiful all at once:

“He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” (John 1:10–11)

God entered the world He created — and many missed Him.

Glory Revealed Through Attention: Are You Seeing What God Is Revealing?

The Word became flesh in an attempt to get our attention. God does not hide Himself, but He also does not beg for our focus. He reveals truth continually, yet we still have the ability to ignore it.

What are you giving your attention to right now?

It’s worth asking: Do my aspirations actually match the destinations I’m arriving at? Like a GPS trying to recalculate a route, God is always available to guide us — but recalculation only works if we’re paying attention to the directions.

Jesus is God’s ultimate revelation. God is always speaking, always showing, always inviting — but are we willing to receive what He’s revealing? What competes for your attention? What consistently pulls your eyes, your thoughts, and your devotion?

Glory Revealed Through Application: When God Moves In

John continues:

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14)

Jesus didn’t just reveal information about God — He showed us what a godly life actually looks like when lived on earth. Jesus is truth, and He is grace applied to everyday living.

There’s a difference between knowing the recipe and actually becoming a better baker. You can own the same recipe book year after year, but growth happens when you practice, apply, and refine. In the same way, religion is often about collecting spiritual recipes, while godliness is about faithfully applying what we’ve been given.

Paul tells Timothy:

“Watch your life and doctrine closely.” (1 Timothy 4:16)

Doctrine matters — but so does how it shows up in your life.

So what have you been applying yourself to lately? A promise? A challenge? A habit? A hobby? A word? Whatever you repeatedly apply yourself to will eventually apply its influence to you.

Receiving Jesus Changes Everything

John reminds us:

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)

The revelation of Jesus leads to restoration with God. He didn’t just come to inform us — He came to transform us. Through Him, we are invited into relationship, not performance. We are welcomed as sons and daughters, born not of human effort, but born of God.

Jesus came full of grace and truth — not one without the other. Truth without grace crushes us. Grace without truth leaves us unchanged. But in Jesus, we find both perfectly held together.

The question is not whether God is revealing Himself.

The question is whether we are paying attention — and whether we are willing to apply what He reveals.

Because when the Word becomes flesh in our lives, everything changes.