RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

There are moments in history that define a nation — or a civilization. In one moment, the nation of Romania was transformed by four simple words: Dumnezeu este cu noi (God is with us)! In December 1989, people captured the main television station in Bucharest from the communists. For the first time in decades, people heard the word God. It shocked the entire population. Hope sprang forth. Hearts rejoiced. The foundations of an atheistic system shook. Romania would never be the same.
Those four words were so powerful, they transformed a godless nation. But that was nothing compared to the power of those same words at the beginning of the first century. They would become the birth words of an entire civilization. They would shake the Roman Empire, ignite Judaism with a fire from heaven, and make common fishermen spiritual heroes. Those four simple words — God is with us — would foster hope, joy, and a sense of an eternal destiny.
But why? Those weren’t just words to encourage broken hearts. Those words stood for the meaning of the name of a child born in Bethlehem. They were spoken to the heart of a common carpenter by an angel who told him, “‘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 1:23).
What? A carpenter’s son is “God with us.” How could this be? Could any hope come out of Nazareth? It must have been a confusing message to that simple carpenter. If this name had been simply a delusion of a proud father, it should not have amounted to much. Time would tell. Was Joseph delusional? So we must ask, “What became of that child? Did he turn out to be a good boy? Was he a high achiever?”
Time has told the story. There’s never been a life to impact the world as the child of that carpenter. He was unique in His birth, His life, His teaching, His death, His resurrection, and His impact on humanity. He proved to be much more than a great religious leader and philosopher. He healed the sick, turned water into wine, forgave sins, changed lives, cast out demons, and rose from the dead. Those aren’t the works of a mere man. Those are the works of God Almighty.
That’s why the angel told Joseph that day, “‘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 1:23). They were much more than kind, poetic words; more than a comforting promise; and more than the vain illusions of a proud father. They were true. God had entered human history — through the birth of a tiny baby. The world would never be the same. It could never be the same — because “God with us” had made Himself known to fallen man.
He was the fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah’s words, “a son will be given and a child born” — the son and the child who would be “Father and Almighty God.” This is Christmas. It’s His story. It’s the unveiling of the great mystery of the one whose name is “God is with us.” Yes, nations have been changed by that name. An entire civilization has been birthed by those words. But this Christmas season, your life can also be changed by the One who is all God and all man — the One the Bible calls the Son of God and the Son of Man. The One who is “God with us” can become “God in us.” He’s the reason for the season — and so much more. He’s the reason for life. In fact, He is life: the author and origin of all creation. He’s Jesus. Trust Him. Love Him.
Have a wonderful Jesus-filled Christmas and remember, “God is with us.”