The Grand Celebration of the Glory of God's Grace

For the Christian, Christmas is the grand celebration of the Glory of God coming down to earth.  While it is quite natural to focus in on the humble baby in the manger, the grace of God displayed in the Creator humbling Himself to take on human flesh for the sake of a world of sinners like us should overwhelm the manger scene.   The irony of the Splendor of Heaven leaving His throne to take on the confines of human flesh drive us to exalt (glorify) the God of all for His amazing grace.  That said, the glory of God is one of the most challenging concepts for us mere mortals to comprehend.  Throughout the Old Testament Scriptures we see snapshots of God’s glory in relationship to His physical splendor and righteous character. Those glimpses of God compel us trust and obey.  Yet in those Old Testament accounts of do’s and don’ts it is easy for us to lose focus on the core character of God. 
 
God is more than just the things He does.  However, when we look at the motivations behind what He does, we get a glimpse of His nature, who He really is.    The Apostle John lived with Jesus and watched Him build relationships and minister truth to people, and he recorded in 1 John 4:8 that “God is love.”   In a very real way, the more we understand His love for us, the more we are driven to love Him.  That is a foundational truth that can compel us to keep the Great Command to “love the Lord your God with all your heart….”  Sharing our hearts is how we build strong relationships.  It is super valuable to clearly understand who God is in His core nature. That is a concept that, given our broken mess of a darkened spiritual condition, can only be grappled with by looking at the Light of Life, Jesus of Nazareth.

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