Jesus: The God Who Knows Your NameSample

God with Us

Jesus was fully divine. All-knowing. All-present. All-powerful. And yet, the Bible makes it clear he was also all-human. Jesus came into this world and comes into the lives of those who believe, flushing away every last cloud of doubt and death and infusing us with wonder and hope. We live because he does, hope because he works, and matter because he matters. To be saved by grace is to be saved by him—not by an idea, doctrine, creed, or church membership, but by Jesus himself, who will sweep into heaven anyone who so much as gives him the nod. Do you know this Jesus?

The God of the universe, for a time, lived among us. He didn’t have to; Jesus came to be near you. His power and love were removed from the discussion the moment he became flesh and entered the world. He faced what you and I face. We have a lot in common with Jesus and he understands you. If Jesus understands you (see Hebrews 4:15), then so does God. Jesus was God in human form. He was God with us—not “God above us,” or “God-somewhere-out-there,” but God with us. All of us.

The story of Jesus begins with the story of a great descent. The Son of God became the child of Mary. He became one of us so we might become one with Him. He entered our world in the high hope that we will enter his. God’s nature would not hold him in heaven. It led him to earth. In God’s great gospel he not only sends, but he also becomes; he not only looks down, but he also lives among; he not only talks to us, but he also loves with us as one of us. God with us.

We cannot find a place where God is not. Yet when God entered time and became a man, he who was boundless became bound, limited to the stretch of an arm and the pace of human feet. I wonder, was he ever tempted to reclaim his boundlessness? Not once did Christ use his supernatural powers for personal comfort. As human as Jesus was, he never experienced the thorns of sin, anxiety, guilt, and loneliness . . . until he became sin for us. With all that Jesus did, all that he accomplished as he died, and then three days later stepped into the Easter sunrise, the coolest thing about the One who gave up the crown of heaven for a crown of thorns was that he did it for you. Just for you!

God loves to be with the ones he loves. He entered the world not to demand our allegiance but to display his affection. He wanted you to know that he understands and that you can go to him. Jesus has been where you are and can relate to how you feel. Our Lord does not patronize you or scoff at your needs. He responds generously and without judgment (see James 1:5). Let him be as human as he intended to be. Let him into the mire and muck of your world, for only if you let him in, can he pull you out. Let him in, and listen to him. By becoming human, God made it possible for you to see God!

Respond

What reasons for becoming human and living in our world most impact your understanding of God’s love for you?

What does it mean to you that Jesus wants to be with you and help you get to know him?

In what ways have you seen Jesus walking alongside you? If you haven’t asked Jesus to take away your sin and walk with you through life, how do you respond to the effort he has made to be available to you?