“If we could condense all the truths of Christmas into only three words, these would be the words: “God with us.” We tend to focus our attention at Christmas on the infancy of Christ. The greater truth of the holiday is His deity. More astonishing than a Baby in the manger is the truth that this promised Baby is the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth!”
by ~ John F. MacArthur, Jr.
Like all infants, He must have needed nourishment from his mother's breasts. He must have known the pangs of hunger. Reliant on others to feed and bathe and provide shelter, He knew the humility of need.
God with us.
Did He squabble with playmates? Did He hear, "You're not my friend anymore"?
God with us.
Working as a carpenter surely tired His body. The toll of hard work called attention to His physical limitations.
God with us.
People doubted Him, mocked Him, insulted Him. Did He ever feel as insignificant we do?
God with us.
He became acquainted with loss and the sting of death when his earthly father died.
God with us.
He knew the pressure of expectations, the burden of being needed.
God with us.
Friends let Him down. Temptations swarmed. Loneliness set in. No doubt He witnessed spouses arguing, painful illnesses, worries over money, rebellious children, insecurity, infidelity, and a host of other human maladies.
He cried. He hurt. He grieved. He sweat. He bled. He suffered.
Just like us.
Immanuel--God with us.
We cannot say God doesn't understand. We can't accuse Him of being distant or uncaring or lofty.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:15-16
Merry Christmas, indeed. Thank You, Lord.
Visit Jennifer's blog, Scraps and Snippets, for more interpretations of this quote.
7 comments:
Beautiful post Tami! I was drawn to the Hebrews passage as well.
HI Tami, I always enjoy your take on IOW. :) Wonderful post. Have you found where to link up?
I like all your questions you wrote. Those are things I've thought about when I've pondered Him coming as a babe and growing up a boy only to make it to the cross as a man. Thanks for sharing, it was a delight.
Wow; so hard to really consider what God Himself went through to become flesh and blood for us. I love those questions you wrote out Tami.
Jesus suffered and was mocked and insulted and yet ...He never sinned. I'm so thankful for His amazing love for us.
Blessings,
Debbie
Perfect! Your words so precise and just perfect. He knows and understands all. Thank you for this post and reminding us that God is with us!
Merry Christmas, Tami! Thanks for this beautiful post.
As always...beautifully written. I so appreciate your insightful and heartfelt words of truth - they bring peace. Jesus, not just a baby, but Someone who knows, who "gets it," because He came to live as "one of us." Immanuel - God with us. Thank you for the blessing your words of encouragement always are. :)
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