📖 “They will call Him Immanuel, which means God with us.” Matthew 1:23
Christmas is many things to many people. For some, it is celebration and joy. For others, it is exhaustion, busyness, or even quiet loneliness. Yet beneath all the activity and emotion, Christmas is a single declaration from the heart of God. He came to be with us. He entered the world He created and stepped into the human experience in its fullness. He came close, not from a distance, but in person.
This is why I love Jesus.
❤️ He came to be with us.
1️⃣ I love Jesus because the incarnation reveals a God who draws near, not a God who stands far off.
Matthew tells us that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. Not God above us. Not God observing us. Not God judging us from a safe distance. God with us.
Augustine wrote that the wonder of the incarnation is not that God became man, but that He became man for our sake.
The incarnation is the greatest act of divine approach. The God of the universe wrapped Himself in vulnerability. He took on flesh, took His place among us, and stepped into the limitations, struggles, and realities of human life. He walked dusty roads. He felt hunger, fatigue, misunderstanding, pressure, and sorrow. The Creator became a child so that no human being could ever say, “God does not understand what I face.”
I love Jesus because He did not call me from far away. He came close.
2️⃣ I love Jesus because His coming shows that God’s presence is the answer to our deepest needs.
Before Jesus came, Israel waited for deliverance from oppression, clarity from silence, and hope after generations of longing. What God sent was not an army, a political leader, or a philosopher. He sent His presence.
This shapes my understanding of what I truly need. John Stott observed that the gospel is not God giving us what we ask for, but God giving us Himself. In Christ, God did not send an answer from heaven; He came in person. His presence is the provision, His nearness the peace, His coming the fulfilment of our deepest need.
During seasons of leadership pressure, or moments in ministry when uncertainty weighed heavily, the comfort that sustained me was not always a quick answer. It was the quiet conviction that He was with me. Not far, not indifferent. With me.
I love Jesus because His presence remains God’s greatest gift.
3️⃣ I love Jesus because He entered not only the world, but my world.
The incarnation is not simply a divine event in history. It is a personal miracle. Jesus did not only come into human life. He came into my life.
Athanasius argued that the Son of God entered fully into our humanity so that humanity itself could be healed and restored from the inside. Christ did not skim the surface of human life. He entered it at its roots, so that no part of our existence would remain untouched by His presence.
Through every season of human life, the truth of His name stands firm.
God with us.
With us in joy and sorrow.
With us in strength and weakness.
With us in certainty and confusion.
With us in beginnings and endings.
The incarnation is not only about Bethlehem. It is about the nearness of God in every moment of human existence.
I love Jesus because His coming is personal.
4️⃣ I love Jesus because the incarnation reveals the humility of God.
Philippians 2 says that Jesus, though equal with God, made Himself nothing, taking the nature of a servant and being born as a human. The King chose a manger. The Creator chose a village. The Lord of glory chose obscurity.
C. S. Lewis wrote that the Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God. That sentence captures both the humility of Christ and the dignity He offers us. His humility lifts us. His descent raises us. His coming brings us into the family of God.
In leadership and ministry, I have often looked to this humility as the model for how I ought to serve. True leadership is not rising above others but coming alongside them. Jesus shows us that God’s greatness is revealed in His nearness.
I love Jesus because His humility restored my dignity.
5️⃣ I love Jesus because He came to be with us so that He could ultimately save us.
Immanuel is not only a comfort. It is a mission.
Jesus came to be with us so He could redeem us.
He came to dwell with us so He could die for us.
He came to walk our roads so He could walk to the cross.
His nearness prepared the way for our salvation. He became like us in every way, yet without sin, so that His sacrifice would open the way to reconciliation with God. Christmas points to the cross, and the cross points to resurrection. The child in the manger is the Savior on the cross and the victorious Lord who rose again.
Because He came to be with us, we can live eternally with Him.
I love Jesus because His presence leads to my salvation and eternal hope.
🎵 My Worship Response
Today’s devotional pairs beautifully with these worship expressions:
• “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”
A longing cry for the God who steps into human darkness with hope and light. It gives voice to the ancient yearning that is fulfilled in Christ’s arrival.
• “Holy Spirit, You Are Welcome Here”
While not a Christmas song, it powerfully extends the incarnation into the present moment. God was with us in Bethlehem, and through the Spirit, God is with us now.
• “Yule Yule” by Alice Kimanzi
A joyful celebration of the Savior’s arrival. The song captures the wonder and gratitude of Christmas in our own context.
🙏 Lord Jesus, thank You for coming to be with us. Thank You for entering our world, carrying our humanity, sharing our experiences, and revealing the heart of God through Your presence. Let the truth of Immanuel fill my heart with peace, hope, and worship this Christmas.
✨ Reason # 24 Why I Love Jesus
He came to be with us, entered our world, carried our humanity, and revealed God’s nearness in every season of life.
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