January 1
Genesis 1-2
Psalm 1
Proverbs 1:1-4
Matthew 1
God With Us
“’Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us.’” Matthew 1:23 LSB
“God with us.” That simple, three-word phrase is the gospel in a nutshell. That is the thing that makes Christianity different from all of the other world religions. It is the thing that makes the Christian life possible. The Creator and Lord of the universe chose to leave His throne in heaven and come to earth. He chose to come, not as a king on a white horse conquering and reigning, but as a little baby born in a stable to poor, ordinary parents. He didn’t come to earth with pomp and circumstance in a grand parade, but through the womb of a teenage girl, born among smelly animals, with lowly shepherds as His first visitors. He became one of us with all of the struggles and difficulties that are common to mankind. He can understand our pain and sorrows because He has experienced them. He can relate to our temptations because He was tempted and yet did not sin. He is acquainted with fear, hunger, need, conflict, hostility, and grief.
No other religion in the world today or in history has ever claimed to have a god who became one of us. All of the other religions have a far-off god, above and beyond our grasp. Their “gods” are supposedly mighty and powerful and must be pleased. Their “gods” live somewhere in the heavens and demand submission. God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to earth to provide a way for us to come to Him. Instead of working to win His approval in hopes that we might somehow earn our way to Him, He did everything necessary to bring us to Him. In love and mercy, He wants to be in relationship with us. He desires our love. Manmade “gods” desire power and control over us. Our God, who has complete power and control over the universe, who could demand complete obedience and deserves our total submission and deference, humbled Himself to our level, became one of us and dwelt among us in order to make a way for us to be in relationship with Him.
Then, if that wasn’t enough, after He ascended back to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within us to provide the strength and power for us to live our lives with meaning and purpose. We are able to navigate the difficulties and struggles of this life, resist the temptations we face and experience the fullness of all God has planned for our lives because He is with us and in us every step of the way. He is Immanuel, God with us!
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