JOHN 1:18: “No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.” NLT
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OBSERVATION: Who is God? Does He even exist? What is He like? Is He angry and waiting to judge the world? Is He filled with love and willing to look past all sin? Will the real God please stand up?

I remember when I was young everyone was in a buzz about a new camera. Today we are used to having cameras on our phones that we take wherever we go. When I was young we had to take our pictures and then take them to be developed. This process would take several days. Then it happened – the Polaroid camera!

Suddenly, you simply snapped a picture, and the picture-sized slide came out of the camera. You would hold it in your hand with great amazement as you watched a shadowing appearance begin to develop. From a shadow, you could make out an outline of the item photographed. And, then, details began to appear until the entire picture was fully developed before you!

Today, this product of my childhood is once again become a trending and sought out product among today’s youth. When my daughter was in college it was hip to get an antique Polaroid camera and use it instead of the new knockoffs. The wonder of taking a picture that developed right before you never dimmed as the years passed by.

Deep down, in every human heart, I believe people want to know if there is a God, and if there is, what is He truly like. The religions of the world are filled with different viewpoints of who God is and how we are to approach Him. The Jewish nation was the chosen nation to whom God revealed Himself. They were eyewitnesses of His presence and power. They received the Law of God. And, still, they did not know who God was.

If we were left to ourselves we would never find God. We would never discover His true nature. We would never understand His true heart. The Jews created a legalistic approach to God that built a wall around them that kept God out. Their view of God became blurred as they focused more on the outward acts of piety than the inner transformation of the heart. They could only see God through their bitterness and brokenness.

Today is December 1. In my opinion (and not the retail world’s opinion), the Christmas season begins today! Christmas is the time we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a time when we reflect on the love of God who sent His only begotten Son to this world to be our Savior. Yet, we need to remember – Christmas is the first time we had the opportunity of understanding who God really is!

• “No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.”

Jesus is the express image of the Godhead. He came to not only reveal the Father’s plan. Jesus came to reveal the Father to a lost and dying world. A world that was incapable of knowing who God really is. When we look at Jesus, the unique One, who is himself, God – we finally see the developed picture of the Father’s heart. Jesus came to reveal God to us!

However, just like a Polaroid camera, the picture does not develop unless it is taken and received. You can load the camera with film, hold it in your hand, acknowledge it is a camera, and never see the picture. You have to push the button in faith that the camera will take the picture and reveal the image. Such it is with knowing God. It is not an academic acknowledgment of the events of Christmas that reveal who God is. It is a personal surrender and faith in Jesus Christ that opens the door!

• “He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” John‬ ‭1:10-13‬ ‭NLT‬

This Christmas, if you have never received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, I pray that you will open your heart and place your faith in Him. If you are a believer, I pray that you will grow in your knowledge of God as you grow in your life in Christ. Jesus did not simply come to reveal the Father to us through salvation. Jesus stands ready to lead us into an ever-deeper understanding of God as we walk daily with Him!

Today, receive God’s personal picture – through Jesus Christ our Lord!

In Jesus Name!