eDevotion
Encouragement for your daily walk with God
OK, here’s the deal … I love to celebrate Christmas. Our church puts a few more events on the calendar. Our home has a few more decorations. Our table has a lot more food! I love it all. The lights. The music. The smells. And to top it off, I get a couple of nice things in my stocking other than coal! It’s a joyous way to celebrate someone else’s birthday.
And there it is, the event behind our celebrations. The core precept of the holiday. Christmas is the birthday of Jesus. It’s the day we revel in the profound mystery of “Emmanuel, God with us!”
It is reminiscent of the words spoken to Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” [Joshua 1.9].
“God with us” makes every day a day of celebration. A day to…
Release my struggles
Release my fears
Release my self-righteousness
Embrace His love
Delight in His presence
"Emmanuel, God with us." Let’s celebrate. The Lord is with us, present in the fullness of His power, wherever we go!
So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1.21-22
Thank you, Rick, for sharing this truth. Here it is, Jan. 14, and I'm just reading this devo, and am wonderfully reminded to daily practice these habits. Jehovah Shammah, He is the God who is there (here)! Amen. Dan P.
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