“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” – Matthew 1:23
My heart is encouraged this Christmas in His name: Emmanuel, God WITH us. The Word became flesh and moved into our neighborhood to be with us through all of life’s experiences. Every struggle, every temptation, every heartache – Jesus experienced it all so that He could dwell with us forever.
Our salvation is not from an abstract idea or mysterious force or feeling. Our salvation is because of the PERSON of Jesus who was born as a man to a real human mother. The creator of the universe humbled himself to live life like us, experiencing all of life’s circumstances and troubles so that He could identify with us as His creation. And now He invites us to identify with Him.
This Christmas, I pray that you feel close to God. That you meditate on the meaning of “God with us” and that you feel the very presence of the savior in this holiday season. Be encouraged knowing that we don’t serve a God that is distant, but one that knows our every struggle and our every pain. Because of Him, we experience victory!
Merry Christmas!
Steve & Sharon Holder
