Believe: Christmas Devotions
Day 9: God With Us
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). Matthew 1:22-23
Let us briefly consider all the things God had to do in order to fulfill the promise of his Son’s birth through a virgin. First, he revealed his plans to some of his trusted children and hoped they would share it with others hundreds of years before it would ever happen. Then he had to choose a faithful family that would accept and take the best care of his One and Only Son. After the family was chosen, he had to take time to prepare them with his plans. So in order to do that, he sent angels down from heaven to speak to Joseph and Mary directly to explain to them the importance of his plan and obtain their agreement. At some point during all this, some shepherds and wise men were notified of the expected birth of God’s son and set off to find him. So now God has finally conceived his Son through Mary and Jesus, Immanuel (God with us), is born in a barn. God then has the great task of protecting the chosen family from the hands of the evil King who wants Jesus dead so he again sends angels to direct them to move. Of course, God succeeds in protecting baby Jesus and begins teaching and preparing him for the great work of saving the world through his ministry and death on a cross.
God took the greatest care and took many risks to deliver baby Jesus to us. He sent angels down from heaven for goodness sakes! Have you ever seen an angel in the sky? That’s a big deal! And not to mention the fact that he allowed sinful humans to raise his infant Son to be King when he could’ve sent a grown man to do it. See and hear that God is not afraid to take risks and go to great lengths to prove his love for you. He will defy all the odds and do the impossible to show you just how much he loves you! The Christmas story is not just about a baby in a manger laying down his sweet head. The Christmas story is about God’s sincere commitment and dedication to loving you forever. God is love and the virgin birth of Jesus Christ is just the beginning of the greatest love story written of all time.
Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2: 1-40
Wynter Kettlewell 