Immanuel

In God's word we find there are many names given to our Lord Jesus. He is Messiah, Redeemer, our Advocate with the Father, Prince of Peace and King of Kings. One of the most comforting names of God and His Christ is found in Isaiah 7:14, “The Lord Himself will give you a sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel" (which means 'God is with us').

Jesus is Immanuel and no matter what we are going through, He promised He would be with us always, even to the end of the age. Jesus said He would never leave us or forsake us. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, the very presence of God was made available to every child of God. Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, but are we aware of His working in our lives? Sometimes life can get so busy that we fail to recognize God is near and working for our good.

Christmas time can be a wonderful time with family and friends but it can also be a time where we become so busy preparing for Christmas that we lose sight of who we are celebrating. If things start to get stressful for you this Christmas I encourage you to stop whatever you are doing and call out to Him, to Jesus, to Immanuel. Ask Him to be with you, to be near you, and to help you. Jesus said, “Come unto Me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Psalm 145:18 says, “The Lord is near to all who call on Him.” Call on Jesus. He is Immanuel, God with us. 

The Tale of Two Heart Conditions

The Christmas Story includes a tale of two heart conditions. The Gospel of Matthew chapter two tells us of  wise men from the east who were seeking to find Him who was born King of the Jews. They followed the light of His star which led them to Bethlehem, where they presented gifts to this King, and then fell down and worshiped Him.

This same chapter from the Bible tells us of another man, King Herod. When he heard the announcement of this King's birth, he acted like he wanted to worship Him, but instead he wanted to kill Him. Why did he want to kill this baby? Because Herod thought this baby's birth could somehow interrupt his reign as king. He gave the order to have every male child in this district two years old or younger to be killed.

Here we find examples of two heart conditions. Heart condition one: “Wise men,” who when they   heard of the coming Messiah, sought Him out, found Him and worshiped. Heart condition two: “Herod,” who upon hearing of this King, rejected Him, and sought to neutralize any effect Jesus might have on his  life. Instead of submitting to this King's authority, he thought only of preserving his own reign.

So today, we tell the Christmas Story of a babe born in Bethlehem, born for one reason, to pay the debt for our sins on a cross 33 years later. Do we give Him the glory He deserves as King and Lord, or do we seek to preserve our life and let nothing interrupt our reign? Jesus said, “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” 

My prayer this Christmas is that all may find the peace and forgiveness found only in Jesus, by responding with the heart of the wise men.