God With Us
"'All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call
him Immanuel' which means, 'God with us.'" - Matthew 1:22-23
Evangelist Luis Palau tells of a wealthy European family that decided to have
their newborn baby baptized in their enormous mansion. Dozens of guests were
invited to the elaborate affair, and they all arrived dressed to the nines.
After depositing their elegant wraps on a bed in an upstairs room, the guests
were entertained royally.
Soon the time came for the main purpose of their gathering: the infant's
baptismal ceremony. But where was the baby? No one seemed to know.
The child's governess ran upstairs and returned with a desperate look on her
face. Everyone searched frantically for the baby. Then someone recalled having
seen him asleep on one of the beds. The baby was on a bed all right-buried
beneath a pile of coats, jackets, and furs. The object of that day's celebration
had been forgotten, neglected, and nearly smothered.
The baby whose birthday we celebrate at Christmas is easily hidden beneath
the piles of traditions and cultural observances of the season. We need to enter
every Advent season asking, "Where's the baby?"
Christ left His home in glory to be with us. Today in prayer, thank the Lord
this Christmas day that He loves you and keep him in the center of your day.
"Christmas is based on an exchange of gifts, the gift of God to man--His
unspeakable gift of His Son, and the gift of man to God--when we present our
bodies a living sacrifice." - Vance Havner
God's Word: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be
with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." - Isaiah
7:14
By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2004, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN MATTHEW
pkennedy6@yahoo.com