"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us." (Mat 1:23) God with us. He came and made His dwelling among us. He came from the Father full of grace and truth. (Jn 1:14) He came that we might have life and have it abundantly. (Jn 10:10) He came as our good teacher. (Mk 10:17) He came and was tempted in every way, just as we are, and is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. So we can approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Heb 4:15-16) He came as our good shepherd, to lovingly guide and protect us. (Jn 10:11-15)
God with us. The whole concept that the Creator of the entire universe would humble Himself to come down to earth clothed in human flesh to walk among His creation is amazing. To taste our trials Himself, so He could sympathize with us as we face hardships. To suffer at the hands of the people He knit together and knew before they were born. It just blows my mind!
But it didn't stop there.
"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you." (Jn 14:16-17)
God with us. As if it wasn't enough for the God of the universe to come dwell among us, He had planned a more intimate relationship. Much more intimate. He now lives in us. Just think about that for a minute. "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" (1 Cor 3:16) Roll that truth around in your brain. The Holy Spirit. Third Person of the Trinity. God. Living inside me? How differently would I live if I could grasp a tiny glimpse of this reality?
God with us. He came and made His dwelling in us. (1 Cor. 6:19) He is the Spirit of grace (Heb 10:29) and truth. (Jn 14:16) He is the living water that wells up within us (Jn 4:14) forming streams, rivers to flow from our innermost being. (Jn 7:38-39) He is our Comforter, our Helper. Teaching us all things, reminding us of all Jesus' promises. (Jn 14:26) He is the power that sustains us in our weaknesses. The grace that is sufficient for us in our time of need. (2 Cor 12:9-10) He guides us into all truth, protecting us from wrong thinking. (Jn 16:13-14)
God with us. "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Eph 3:16-21)
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Rom 15:13)
Immanuel - Eternally God with us
No comments:
Post a Comment