This article appears in the Spring 2025 issue of the FCA Donor Publication. The FCA publication is a gift from our FCA staff to all donors giving $50 or more annually. For more information about giving, visit here.
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
Often times when we reference “the Word,” we are talking about the Bible. However, in John 1:14, “the Word” is God made flesh, born as a baby in Bethlehem. In John 1:14, the Word is Jesus.
The incarnate Son of God is God’s greatest revelation of Himself. But how does the glory of Christ’s time on Earth 2,000 years ago affect us today? Let’s take a look.
OUR PERFECT EXAMPLE
As the NLT translation of this verse explains, Jesus’ plan was always to “[make] his home among us.” God understood that we would need a perfect and living example on Earth to navigate the challenges of this world. So he made his home with us. Jesus is the perfect Teacher. His disciples were blessed to learn directly from Him as they walked with Him, witnessed His miracles and reclined at meals together.
Yet Jesus—who willingly limited Himself in time and space during his incarnation—knew future believers worldwide would benefit even more from another, more lasting manifestation of God’s presence. As Jesus said in John 16:7, “It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you.”
The Counselor is God’s Spirit. We received the Holy Spirit to live among us after Jesus died and rose again. God’s Spirit is alive and active in our lives forever if we choose to follow Christ. Now, we have the Holy Spirit and other believers among us to teach us. We are also called to be ambassadors, teaching others.
HIS PERFECT PLAN
God’s perfect plan to glorify Himself has always included us. We are called to love God and love others. 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, ‘Be reconciled to God.’” Likewise, in Matthew 28:19, Jesus tells us, “Go, therefore, and make disciples.”
God speaks through Scripture, situations and people. He wants us to share our stories to show others who He is and how much He loves them. When we do that, we are revealing His glory.
In his book “Sundays at the Track,” a collection of true stories of faith in NASCAR, author Lee Weeks writes about Cup Series driver Matt DiBenedetto’s experience of coming to faith in Jesus. In 2020, DiBenedetto asked fellow racer Michael McDowell how he was handling the COVID-19 pandemic and the pressures of racing from a faith perspective. McDowell responded, “Death has been defeated. I know who wins. I know how the story ends.” DiBenedetto eventually surrendered his life to Christ through McDowell’s discipleship.
HIS GLORY REVEALED
Weeks’ book also contains testimony from McDowell about how he came to know Jesus. When McDowell was 18, a preacher’s message about God’s grace and forgiveness through Christ drove him to study the Bible for the first time. “As I dug in more and more, God just revealed His truths to me,” McDowell said. “The God of the universe pursued me in a way that only He could.”
McDowell and his girlfriend joined a Bible study group at his new church. That group helped them trust Christ as their Savior and repent from their sins.
The preacher, the Bible study group, the new church and God’s divine intervention led McDowell to experience God’s glory. Then McDowell was able to reveal that glory to DiBenedetto. It’s a discipleship cycle.
This is God’s plan for us. He wants to display His glory to us and through us. Each day, we need to be vigilant for these moments, both to recognize God’s glory and reveal it to others by sharing our story and acknowledging what Jesus has done for us.
Amid the joys and struggles of life, what if you could sing Helen Howarth Lemmel’s well-known hymn, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” in the past tense?
I turned my eyes upon Jesus. I looked full in His wonderful face. And the things of Earth grew strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
Prayer: Father, You are my strength, and I trust you. I surrender my desires to Your will. Please help me keep my eyes on You as I seek Your glory and reveal it to others. In Jesus’ name, amen.
BIO: Donita Povolny is FCA’s Executive Vice President of Motorsports. She majored in telecommunications and minored in communications at Ball State University. After graduating, she worked as a sales representative on the professional motocross circuit before joining the FCA staff in 2007. She was born in Indiana and moved to Minnesota when she married her husband, Jimmy. The couple has three boys who compete in motorsports, hockey and mountain biking.
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