In "Other" Words...God With Us!

Welcome to today's In "Other" Words!   Please join with us in sharing your thoughts on the John MacArthur quote below.  After posting on your blog, come back here and post the perma-link (the link to your In "Other" Words post, not the main page of your blog) in the Mr. Linky.  If you have trouble with Mr. Linky, please post your link in the comments to this post. Also, if you don't have a blog, feel free to post your thoughts in the comments here.  Thank you for joining us today!

“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!”

~ John F. MacArthur, Jr.

God with us!  Such an amazing truth to ponder.  Even His name was to remind us that this was no ordinary baby born in such humble circumstances, but God, come to be with us:

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name 

Emmanuel, 

which being interpreted is, 

God with us. 

~Matthew 1:23

This past Sunday evening, our Children's Choirs presented the musical The Best Christmas Present Ever.  All four of our children were in the musical...Peter, Bayley, and Emlyn had speaking parts, and Ammah Grace and Emlyn had solos.  Billy and I were both involved as well...Billy working the sound and me as an accompanist.  All of that to say, we've been pretty immersed in this musical for the past few weeks/months.

It was a perfect combination of humor and *teary-eyed* spots, with great music and excellent drama.  But in between the howls of laughter and the "Awwww...how sweet"s, the message was very clear.  The main character, an arrogant news anchor, makes it quite plain that he sees no way that a "2,000 year old guy" could be relevant today.  Only naive children could believe anything different.  The children and their teacher explain that the "Good News" is that God gave us the greatest gift of all...He sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to be born in a manger.  But...we have a choice to make...to accept the gift of salvation He provided through His death and resurrection, to give Him our hearts, and acknowledge Him as our King.  

At the end of the musical, the anchorman reports that the "2,000 year old man" has changed his life~He has saved him and given him the best Christmas present ever!

It is so easy to get wrapped up in the "sweet little baby Jesus" aspect of Christmas.  As I've heard several times lately, the people all over the world celebrate His birth...whether they truly acknowledge it as such or not.   But when we actually stop and think about the fact that that "sweet little baby" in the manger was "the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth", it gets a little harder.  That requires a more serious response from us than "Oh, how sweet!"  It requires a choice from us...a choice to accept the gift of salvation He offers, a choice to give Him His rightful place as King of our hearts.  It demands reverence, and worship, and obedience.  

But...not only is that realization a bit harder, it is also infinitely more wonderful!  If it was just a "sweet little baby" born in the stable that night, it is little more than a beautiful story.  But the fact that the All-Powerful God of the universe was in that manger is Something indeed!  He loved us so much that He chose to come to earth in human form, be born as a baby, grow into a man, and then be beaten and tortured before He took our sin on Himself and gave His life on the cross.   But then, because He *is* the Almighty God, He rose from the dead on the 3rd day, and now sits in Heaven at the right hand of the Father, offering the free gift of salvation to all who will accept it.

For those who have not yet accepted that gift, the most wonderful thing that could happen this season is to accept that gift of salvation.  For those who have already accepted that gift, we too have choices to make this season.  Is he truly Lord of our Life?  Are we truly worshiping Him as the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth?  Are we obeying Him in all that we do?   Does He truly have first place in our hearts this holiday season?   Are we sharing the Good News with others?  

I so want to focus not only on the Baby in the manger this Christmas season, but on "God with Us" throughout the year. 

"She will bear a Son; 
and you shall call His name
Jesus, 
for He will save His people from their sins."

~ Matthew 1:21

Therefore 

God exalted Him to the highest place
      and gave Him the name that is above every name,
 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
      in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
      to the glory of God the Father.

~ Philippians 2:9-11

(My apologies to those who looked for In "Other" Words earlier today.  I had planned to post early this morning, but between Billy being off and our being completely off-schedule, and the engagement last night of a dear friend's daughter, I've been a bit distracted this morning! )