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Devotionals
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At Christmas
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At Christmas
By Michael Youssef, Ph.D.
At Christmas, we tend to look upon the Christ child as a helpless babe. But the second title of Jesus in Isaiah 9:6, which God unveiled to us 700 years before Christ was born, reveals something completely different. The baby born and placed in a manger was Mighty God.
The Hebrew word for "God" in "Mighty God," El, is a name for God used throughout the Old Testament to describe God's supernatural power and might. El is the Creator of heaven and earth -- the inventor of the universe and all it contains. Of God's many names, none express His supernatural power like the name El.
Read Isaiah 7:14. God reiterated this Truth with Isaiah when He shared Jesus' name, "Immanuel." The word Imm means "with" in Hebrew. Anu means "we" or "us." And El means "God." God was unveiling a wonderful Truth: He Himself was coming to be with us.
Jesus is the one and only God -- the God of power and might in human flesh. He stated it plainly: "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). The baby born in Bethlehem of Judea had forever existed with God the Father in the Godhead.
The same El who said, "Let there be light," stood on the Mount of Olives and proclaimed, "I ?? the light of the world."
The same El who created the stars took on flesh and walked beneath them.
The same El who delivered manna to the Israelites fed the 5,000 with just five loaves and two fish.
The same El who parted the Red Sea to rescue His people from slavery hung on the cross to rescue us from the slavery of sin.
The same El who told Moses, "I ?? ??? I ??," said to His disciples, "I ?? the bread of life. I ?? the light of the world. I ?? the way and the truth and the life."
As you worship Jesus this Christmas, challenge yourself to see Him as He is. There is majesty in the manger. The baby in swaddling clothes is Mighty God. The Creator of the universe stepped into human skin and gave up His life to live inside of sinners -- all so we could know and worship Him forever.
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Davidwayne Lackey 12/10/2015 19:24 |
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