"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."
- Matthew 1:23
Christmas is always a busy day here. I wish it wasn't. The bustle of activity is always so distracting. Presents...rushing to get ready for the day...driving off to various relative's houses. No time to even stop and think about what the point of it all is.
"God with us..."
Most of us have probably heard this verse every Christmas. But, let's take some time to really think about what this means.
"God with us..."
This is one of the most amazing verses in the Bible. Think about it for a second. God - who created everything there is with just His word - Who sits in Heaven over everything and holds it all together - Who is all holy without a trace of darkness - Who is worshiped forever by the mightiest of angels - came down from Heaven to us.
"God with us..."
He laughed with us and cried with us.
He healed our sicknesses.
He set the captive free.
He went to the lowest and despised of all people, and told them of their infinate worth.
He went to the rejects of society and said, "Follow me".
"God with us..."
And, most importantly, He died for us.
"But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the guilt and sins of us all."
- Isaiah 53:5-6
He tore the veil of sin between us and God.
"The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the thick veil hanging in the Temple was torn apart. Then Jesus shouted, "Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!" And with those words he breathed his last."
- Luke 23:45-46
He defeated death and sin, and rose again.
"Don't be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one who died. Look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave."
- Revelation 1:18
He offers new life to all who will come to Him.
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
"God with us..."
Christmas presents, as well as everything we have in this life, will one day pass away. Jesus gives us a gift that can never be lost and will never get old.
Come to Him and let Him forgive you.
Come to Him and let Him heal you.
Come to Him and let Him make everything new.
Give Him your hurts.
Give Him your pain.
Give Him the broken pieces of your life.
He loves you.
He cares for you.
Regardless of what has ever happened.
Even through the worst of times, He has always been with me.
When everything seems hopeless, He proves faithfull.
He came into my life, and nothing has ever been the same.
"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is...
God with us.."
