"Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel." - Matthew 1:23
The world seems so broken, is God really with us? My life is such a mess, is God really with me? I was thinking and praying on this for some time and it hit me hard that there is a big difference between (1) Jesus coming to simply dwell AMONG us, versus (2) Jesus coming to dwell as "God WITH us" - Emmanuel. Emmanuel means "God is with us." (Mt 11:23) Look at those words - AMONG and WITH.
When Jesus comes into the world as the little baby born in the manger, He is entering into our very lives... the God of the universe taking on human flesh. God... GOD! enters WITHIN the very flesh of a baby and becomes a human just like you and me (except for sin). This is much crazier than we typically think of it. This is much more than little baby Jesus dolls lying down in a manger scene. If the God of the Universe had the POWER and the CARE to become a little baby in order to save his people, what makes you think that He wouldn't want to enter more deeply into your life and circumstances right now... in the year 2007. He entered as deeply into the lives of humankind as He could when He became a man, and even that is not enough because the real truth is that He wants to enter into you! into me! He wants to be "God with us" everyday, in all our thoughts, actions, and in our very lives. This is the coming of Emmanuel as we await His next coming in GLORY.
I was chatting recently with numerous people who have expressed a sadness and depression as Christmas approaches and they are struggling to "get their act together" in their lives. Many people will go without family and feel alone this Christmas. Some because of addictions, some because they lost a loved one, others because something in their life is not the way they wish it would be. Christ comes to us this Christmas and says, "Hey, can I be God WITH you this Christmas?" And not only this Christmas, but all the days to come as well.
-Tim Hanley
Hard as Nails Ministries
Newark, NJ
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- Hard as Nails
- Hard as Nails Ministries is a youth and young adult ministry program designed to bring the message of Jesus Christ in intense and dynamic ways. Hard as Nails Ministries develops teams of youth all over the United States and beyond, to travel with a Hard as Nails minister who leads them and challenges them to grow into amazing witnesses of Jesus Christ.