READING: Matthew 1, Luke 1:1-2:38
“. . . which is translated, ‘God with us.’”
Matthew 1:23
I’ve watched the people as they offered fruit to powers they saw illustrated in the figurine in front of them. I’ve stood by the side as worshippers bowed to a “god” they held in their hands—in fact, a god they had made with their hands. I’ve been in homes with statues of deities set up in corners and entryways, and I’ve ridden in cars with pictures of gods hanging from the rearview mirror. In each of these cases, the people longed for their “god” to be with them. The only way they knew to make that happen was to create some kind of image and assume the god resided there.
That’s not the God of the Bible. He doesn’t make us create images of Him and set them up as a god; in fact, He forbids us to do so. Rather, He came himself to us in Jesus, who was the fulfillment of the words of the prophet: “Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated ‘God is with us’” (Matt. 1:22-23).
God came to be with us. God IS with us. He lives in us. He will never leave nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). He promises us that He will come again so that we can be with Him (John 14:3).
He came to us so that we could be with Him. That’s amazing.
ACTION STEPS:
- Sometimes we take the birth narrative of Jesus for granted. Don’t let that happen. Spend some time meditating on the truth that God is with us.
- Praise God that we will get to be with Him someday.
PRAYER: “Thank You, God, for coming to be with us.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Matthew 2, Luke 2:39-52
