God Makes Himself Small

 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Lk 2:11–12 NIV

What is the message of Christmas? God made himself small and weak because he wanted to be one of us, because he wanted to be close to us, because he wants to be close to us, because he loves us infinitely.

When he grew up and became a strong man, Jesus still renounced his unlimited divine power.

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Php 2:6–8 NIV

He raised the dead, but Elijah and Elisha had already done this in the Old Testament.

He calmed a storm, but Moses parted the Red Sea.

Of course, the prophets did not perform these miracles themselves, but God performed the miracles through their faith. Jesus performed these miracles by faith, in the same way as the prophets, as an example for us.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Jn 14:12 NASB95

What Jesus did as a man through his faith, we can also do as men through the faith that God gives us.

I find this challenging, even intimidating. My faith cannot handle fasting for 40 days or raising the dead, but when I have been faced with urgent needs, God has given me an extra gift of faith, and I have seen miracles.

God made himself small so that we could live in close fellowship with him through faith, so that we as small people could have access to his unlimited power and love.