This edition celebrates Christmas, “God with Us.”

MERRY CHRISTMAS

When our son was much younger, he had one of those ant farms in the thin glass case. The whole family enjoyed watching them do amazing things in that dirt and sand. Each one had a job to and it worked tirelessly to complete it. Let’s suppose that I loved those little critters and I wanted them to know how much I loved them. After much thought, I realized that I had only one option-become one of them so I could “tell” them face to face. Not only would I love them, I would live with them, work with them, and struggle with them…as an ant.

While this is impossible for us, it is exactly what God did for us. He loved us so much that He transformed His Son into one of us and sent Him here as a baby some 2000 years ago. What we celebrate as Christmas is, in fact, the celebration of God becoming a man. Through the prophet Isaiah, God told the world of His plans 700 years before the event would occur. As a sign, a virgin would give birth to a son and she would call His name Immanuel (See Isaiah 7:14).

A virgin giving birth is amazing in itself. The name is just as amazing. It means “God with us.” Isaiah 9:6 says that one of His other names would be “Mighty God.” Nothing like this had ever happened before, and it will never happen again.

While the Mormons, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Muslims deny that God could ever become a man, the Bible clearly tells us otherwise. The event had such an impact on the world that we measure recorded history from this benchmark, using B.C. and A.D. That little baby was God! Imagine that. Our Lord Jesus was willing to give up the glory He enjoyed in heaven as part of the union of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to become one of us. Even more incredible is the fact that He knew that His destiny was to die a horrible death through crucifixion. Why would He do all this? Because of His amazing love for us.

AS I SEE IT

Our understanding and appreciation of this amazing life changing and history measuring event puts Christmas in a whole new light. Instead of embracing our creator’s wonderful offer of His Son, many are attempting to reduce Christmas to a winter holiday devoid of any spiritual meaning whatsoever. Surely this grieves God’s heart more than we could possibly imagine. Yet, Christ died for the God-haters, too. If they were the only ones on earth, Christ would still have gone to the cross for them.

This Christmas, let’s contemplate the significance of the name “Immanuel.” What does it do for your relationship with Almighty God knowing that He became a man for you? I hope this knowledge results in a meaningful Christmas for you. Don’t let the commercial trappings rob you of your joy. With all the stresses and uncertainties in life these days, I encourage you to focus on the one who will never let you down, the one who loves you beyond measure, the one who came to be with us so we could spend eternity with Him.

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To learn how the wise men knew about the star and many other “Christmas facts,” check out The Israeli Connection. To make sure God is truly with you, check out HOW TO KNOW YOU’RE HEAVEN BOUND.