With us God

In Isaiah and in Matthew, Jesus is called “Emmanuel.”

“Em” = with.

“Nu” = us.

“El” = God.

He’s the “with us God.” Jesus could have given stuff. He wanted to give Himself.

"God with us." Each word is so vital.

God with us. What if it said “man with us” or “girl with us” or “boss with us” or even “friend with us”? As nice as that might be, it’s not that great. No, it’s “God with us.” The most awesome, most powerful, most infinite, most amazing, most holy, most loving, most righteous Creator God who’s never surprised, never worried, never frustrated, never thwarted is with us. We should help people who don't know God come to know Him, too. That changes everything.

God with us. What if it said “God against us” or “God without us”? How safe would you feel then? No. It’s God with us. We don’t have to go through life alone. Jesus didn’t come to take us out of this world. He came to be with us in this world. We should be with each other, too. That changes everything.

God with us. What if it said “God with you”? That would mean He doesn’t care about me. What if it said “God with me”? That would mean that He doesn’t care about you. What if it said “God with them”? That would mean that He plays favorites. No, it’s God with us. We are in community together. He cares about us. All of us. And we should care about all of us , too. And that changes everything.

Have you praised Jesus for being a “with us God”? That's something to be merry about this Christmas.