Wednesday, December 2, 2009

December 2, 2009

"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him 'Immanuel' which means, "God with us." Matthew 1:23
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
There is so much good news that surrounds the Christmas story! It tells us a lot of good things about God and how much He loves us.
In two separate accounts about the coming of Christ the good news is revealed regarding God's desire to be with us. He was to reveal Himself to us. He wants to be known by us. He wants to fellowship with us. Amazing isn't it?
We have always known that God is for us. He created us! The Old Testament is filled with the news that God is for us. It it rife with demonstrations of His power and might on our behalf. There is no way you can read the Old Testament and not conclude that God is for us.
If there is someone you want to be for you it is most certainly God!
The wonder of the Christmas story is how a God Who is for us came to be with us. It happened in a most amazing and wonderfully peculiar way! Only the mind of God could conjur such a perfect plan! All the Gods of the pagans demanded that their adherents somehow measure up to their status. But our God, the true God of the universe, humbled Himself and condescended to us!
More amazing than the fact that He did it is how He did it. God called a teen-aged virgin to be the mother of His Son. This child would have to be conceived by the Holy Spirit so He could be born sinless. Why sinless? Because only a sinless Son could become an atoning sacrifice for sin. Perfect!
God, through the mystery of the incarnation, came to be with us because He was for us!
But the news is even better! The God Who is FOR us came to be WITH us because He wants to be IN us!
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— John 1:12
God's desire is for us to receive Him through faith in Jesus so He can fill us with His Spirit and transform our heart and mind. He wants us to deliver us from our spiritual death and darkness and lead us into His life and light! When He does that He tranforms our mind and gives us eternal life.
So here is the wonderful news of the Christmas miracle, the God Who was FOR us, came to be WITH us, so He could be IN us - because He wants us to be WITH Him for eternity!
Christmas is "Immanuel" - God with us! That changes everything! Will you let Him change you?