Immanuel ~ God with Us

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DailyChristmas Encouragement
(Devotionals by Pastor Wayne Taylor)

Immanuel ~ God with Us
"Andshe will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will saveHis people from their sins…'Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bear aSon, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God withus.'" (Matthew 1:21, 23)
AtChristmas we celebrate the miraculous birth of God the Son in the form of aman.  Think of it, God became a man!  The name "Jesus" is the Greektranslation of the Hebrew name "Yeshua" or "Joshua."  Jesus' name is actually a contraction of twowords―Jehovah and Shua―meaning"the Lord is our Savior." Immanuel literally means "with us is God."  At the Incarnation, God came to be with us inthe person of Christ, who is the perfect, eternal sacrifice for all our sins.
Increation, we see God above us as transcendent. In the moral law, we see God against us as judge.  But in the Gospels, we see God with us asImmanuel―our Savior, friend, and King. As Immanuel, Godjoins Himself with His people.
Ilove the story of the grandfather who sees his grandson jumping up and down ina playpen, crying at the top of his lungs. When Johnnie sees his grandfather, he reaches up with chubby littlehands and says, "Out, Grandpa, out!" 
Itis only natural for the grandfather to reach down and lift Johnnie out, but ashe does, the child's mother says, "No, Johnnie.  You are being punished, so you must stay inthe playpen."  The grandfather is ata loss and doesn't know what to do.  Hisheart is deeply moved by the child's tears. But the mother's firmness in correcting her son cannot be taken lightly.  Yet, love finds a way.  The grandfather cannot take his grandson outof the playpen, so he climbs in with him.
Thatis what our Lord Jesus did for us at Christmas. In leaving heaven and coming to earth, He climbed in with us.
"In thebeginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And theWord became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as ofthe only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:1,14)
Sentby permission from Pastor Wayne Taylor; info@calvaryfellowship.org)