Author: David

 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

Philippians 4:6-7

 

I think we all have struggled with anxiety in some point of our lives. Some people have it worse than others, but we all experience it. I never really struggled with anxiety when I was younger. Then as I got older and had my kids, my social anxiety started to really show up. As well as my hormones and body image. I’ve struggled with my hormones and body image ever since. I care what people think about me. Some people say they don’t, but we all do.

Anxiety, fear, and depression go hand and hand. We may fear of what people think, fear of making a mistake, fear of the future, etc. Fear leads to anxiety and anxiety leads to depression. We may feel stuck in this depression but in reality, we aren’t. We can go to God with anything and He can bring us out of anything.

We must fight back our thoughts and pray. Anxiety is hard to talk about to others. We try to avoid it and pretend it’s not there. We tend to show a “happy” face but deep down we are depressed. We feel alone. We think no one will understand what we’re going through. But we have to remember that God understands. The majority of people with anxiety will resort to medication and therapy to cope with it, but God should be our “medication” as well as our therapist. He is the Almighty God that can help us overcome anything that medication and therapy never could.

Anxiety is a hard thing to accept and live with. I tend to forget that God is with me through my anxiety. He is there carrying this burden with me. He loves us no matter what we are going through, good or bad.

 

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

1 Peter 5:7

 

Prayer is a powerful thing and we need to pray! Cry out to Him to deliver you from your anxiety and worry. I’m still struggling to go to God and cast my burdens on him. But God WANTS us to come to Him during our times of anxiety and negative thoughts. For us to have peace and comfort, we MUST go to Him.

 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

 

In the end, our problems will no longer matter. We tend to forget this and lose focus on what’s most important. If we let fear interfere, how will we live out the gospel and share it with those around us? We should pray and trust in the Lord and focus on what’s important.

 

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”

Psalm 56:3

 

We need to WORRY LESS and PRAY MORE!

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.  It does not insist on its own way: it is not irritable or resentful

1 Corinthians 13:4-5

 

This is a popular, well-known scripture and a good one to remember.  When I was praying the other day, this verse came to mind.  It was because I was praying for patience, kindness, and not to be resentful in my situation.

So many fellow Christians have told me for years to NEVER pray for patience.  They told me as soon as you pray for it, God will give it to you.  He will put things in your life that will teach you to have patience.  Like the saying goes, be careful what you pray for, you might just get it.  

Jesus told us the two greatest commandments are to love God and love our neighbor, but in 1 Corinthians he has described attributes of love.  The first thing it says is “Love is patient”.  If we need patience, why wouldn’t we pray for it?  

My patience has been tested greatly these past few months. With the death of my father-in-law and becoming a caregiver to my mother-in-law, my patience is wearing thin.  I wonder about what others have told me.  Is it because I am praying for it?  Am I getting what I prayed for? 

God told us in His word to take care of our family also. 

 

But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.

1 Timothy 5:4

 

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for member of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

1 Timothy 5:8

 

God has laid this opportunity on me to do His work and His will.  I am constantly complaining and negative about it.  What God revealed to me in my prayer for patience WAS to pray for it.  I pray for a change of heart, for the Lord to help me be patient, to be kind, to be caring and joyful in my circumstance, to have love and give it abundantly.  He has opened my eyes and revealed my failures.  

This season hasn’t been easy.  I’ve had many struggles and haven’t handled them well.  I am thankful God shows me my mistakes and gives grace.  I will continue to pray for the things I need.  I have learned through prayer a peace that goes beyond all understanding.  It’s more about what praying does TO me as much as what it does FOR me.       

 

Lord, I am sorry I have not shown the love you have called me to show.  I am sorry I complain about my situation.  You have given me a wonderful opportunity to show love, and I have fallen short.  Please Lord, I ask for forgiveness.  Give me patience and understanding.  Give me strength and endurance.  I love you.  In Jesus name, Amen

 

Paul makes a statement in Acts 18:6 that should both haunt us and clarify our purpose.

Acts 18:6 ESV  And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

Paul tells the Jews that ‘their blood be on their own heads’ and that he is innocent.  This is a statement made by prophets and it’s for every believer to understand.

Blood on Hands/Head

• On Hands – to have blood on your hands means that as God’s messenger, you are guilty of not obeying or giving a message to someone.
• On Head – The recipient is guilty of not accepting the message. The messenger is innocent.

It’s very prophetic language and this wording stems from the Old Testament.  It is also a mentality for believers.

Ezekiel 3:17–19 (ESV) “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 18 If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.

The point is this:  Not all Christians have a prophetic gifting as described in the New Testament, but all Christians are prophets in this sense:  God has given all of us a message:  The Gospel.

He’s given us all a command to speak:  Matthew 28, “Go and make disciples of all nations…”

You see, today, we have relegated the ‘watchman on the wall’ as someone who is looking for Christ’s return.  That is only part of that responsibility.

According to Ezekiel, at least in a New Testament sense, the watchman is the person who shares the message of God to their people.  We have all been given the Gospel, and we have all been called to share it because God’s judgment is coming for those outside Christ.

God is almost done with our ways, our sin, our neglect, our injustice, murder, and our immorality. The age of grace will come to an end.

However, He sends His Son to rescue us and everyone who would hear His message and turn to Christ for salvation.  But who is the watchman called to speak that message?  Make no mistake.  If you have received the message of salvation, that message was not just for you.  It is for everyone.  Whether it makes us uncomfortable or not, we must face the truth as believers:

We are the watchmen.

The message is His, but it is ours to share.  The Gospel is necessary, and judgment is coming.  As hard as this message is to hear, we are called to speak it as watchmen. Yes, we watch for signs of His return, but we proclaim Christ’s salvation until He comes.  It is the message given to every believer.

Creation is God making the universe and all that is within it. Idolatry is man’s feeble attempt to make God.

This idea is becoming lost more and more in both society and even Christianity. Sometimes a person will find a deity other than God to worship that is merely a man-made god, an idol crafted from human hands, or we find some “thing” to worship. It can be something as simple as our careers, other people, sports, hobbies, speakers, singers, musicians, or any secular thing that we set before God.

If we could be honest, idolatry comes when our desires become greater than God’s will. It basically happens every time we sin. We set ourselves above God. I have seen the dark power of idolatry. I’ve seen it destroy marriages, friendships, careers, and lives. Our addictions, our pleasures, and our desires become relentless masters when at the forefront of our lives ahead of the will of God.

The Bible speaks of a great apostasy coming, where people will corrupt or stray from their faith. This is also rooted in idolatry. Today many are leaving their faith, and still others are picking and choosing what parts of our faith to believe. We are giving the final say on our lives to ourselves and not to God.

There was a Pew Research study done in the last few years where Christians were polled about Christmas and the resurrection. People believed that Jesus was born, but the numbers got less when asked if Mary was a virgin, if Gabriel came to her, if the angels worshiped, and in looking at the resurrection, some “Christians” didn’t believe Jesus actually rose from the dead.

Practically, when we pick and choose what parts of the Bible we are going to believe and not believe, we are literally changing its message. We are literally declaring that we know more than God and that our limited human experience precedes both His knowledge and will.

The reminder today is this: We are not here to find or fashion a god for our lives. If you are a Christian today, you didn’t “find” God. God made Himself known to you. There’s nothing we can change or invent to make who He is. In the times we live in, holding to the truth of God, believing His Word, and living that out matters. He is unchanging and this idea brings a deeper meaning to the famous words of Jesus.

 

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

It is His way, His truth, and His life. There is nothing we can add or ignore to make this ours and when we try, we will never gain anything for ourselves. We will only lose something. His will is enough and it is how we are called to live and in an age of idols, we are called to worship the one true God.

 

In the book of Luke, Mary is visited by the angel Gabriel. He informs Mary that she is going to give birth to a son, though she is a virgin.vShe is told to name Him Jesus and that He would be the Son of the Most High and would receive the throne of David and that His Kingdom would never end. Mary is told of Elizabeth, her relative, and that she also is pregnant with a son in her old age. The point of Elizabeth’s pregnancy was a sign to Mary that all things are possible with God. Mary’s response to all of this? “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.”

I love this perspective but you must understand what she was saying “yes” to. They were going to gossip, accuse her, there could have been a threat on her life for being pregnant out of wedlock. It’s why Joseph tried to put her away quietly, in order to protect her. In the end, this would not be a normal marriage or a normal life. She was going to have not just a son, but THE Son. Mary visits Elizabeth and Elizabeth declares that her baby leaped in her womb when Mary approached carrying Jesus in her womb. Mary realizes the reality of her situation and she breaks the workings of her mind with praise.

Luke 1:46–55

⁴⁶ And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

⁴⁸ for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

⁴⁹ for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

⁵⁰ And his mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

⁵² he has brought down the mighty from their thrones

and exalted those of humble estate;

⁵³ he has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

⁵⁵ as he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

Here is what I love about all of this: Her praise speaks to every topic you’ve heard today:

To loneliness, Mary is given God’s Son

To hopelessness, God is redeeming His people

To injustice, a captive Israel was receiving a King

To sin, God remembered His people in mercy

 

Jesus offers life for every person who would follow Him.

John 10:10

(ESV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

God sends His Son to save the world, save Israel and to save you and me. God didn’t stop at the nation or the planet. Through what most scholars believe was roughly a 16-year-old girl named Mary, God makes His salvation personal. He looks not just at the world, not just at the nation of Israel, He looks at you.  He looks at me. Time is about to change. BC is about to become AD, hopelessness will turn to hope, punishment for sins will be met with mercy, loneliness is met with God’s presence and injustice is met by a just King. All of this, in a moment at Christmas, where labor pains turn to birth, a baby is born and with each breath He takes, life is breathed into the world, and his breath becomes word and His words become life. Hope spreads from a manger to all of us. A new clock begins to click and almost without notice, the world has changed.

Have you read in Scripture that the return of Jesus is much like this scene at Christmas? He talks about labor pains before He returns. The reason they call it labor pains is because… pain… But these pains lead to something wonderful, and they will give birth to a new reality, a new Kingdom and all will submit to this new King. This time, it will not go unnoticed. Heaven and earth are made new, labor will give birth to His Kingdom come.

It all began here, at Christmas, over 2000 years ago. Let us celebrate what God has done as we remember what Christmas is about: Jesus comes to earth for the glory of God, in order that we may have life.

Merry Christmas!

Luke 2:8-14

⁸ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

2 Corinthians 5:21 CSB

“He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

 

From the opening syllables of Genesis to the closing chapters of Revelation, we are introduced and confronted with a most problematic reality: The problem of sin. We first hear of it in the garden when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. Where there was once paradise and perfection, such was then cast into dark horror and chaos. When we stop and behold the Christmas story, we have an opportunity to behold our God and exactly how other-worldly wonderful and merciful He is. In that vein, in order to have a proper view of the ancient assassin we know as sin, we must have a proper view of God.

 

How magnificent a God we worship, who in His holiness cannot tolerate sin, but looked upon our bleak situation after the fall and essentially said, “I will have mercy on them.” Further, the Christmas story shows us that we could not and cannot save ourselves, and that we needed a perfect Savior to save us from certain eternal death, from the just wrath of a most Holy God. You see, mankind is no stranger to sadness, depravity, desperation and hopelessness, which is the exact situation God came into as the holy infant, our Lord Jesus. When the divine infant was born, salvation, hope and joy pierced the dark fog of estrangement between God and His people. The sinless savior had come, and therefore making a way for us to not die in our sins. The baby in the manger was the fulfillment of the long-standing promise of God that He would deliver His people from their spiritual bondage and captivity. The first cries of that baby were the opening notes to sin and death’s demise. For sin, the ancient contagion, is no match for Jesus, our ultimate sovereign.

 

Further, our spiritual condition was darker than the deepest depths of the sea, blacker than the furthest reaches of space, so much so that only that which was most pure could satisfy the cosmic debt you and I owed. The Christmas story shows us that we are beneficiaries of a most divine and perplexing exchange between God and humans. He took on our sin upon Himself and we received His righteousness as our own. Where we were once dead in our trespasses, He makes us alive. In exchange, He died the death we should have. Where we were once criminals, having dishonored God, He made a way for us to be His children. He freed us from being slaves to sin and to now be slaves to righteousness.

Sin is the disease and Christ is the cure.

If any of us today find ourselves overwhelmed by sin or have willingly participated in it and know that there is distance between themselves and God, I beg you to not go another day longer in the bondage of the enemy for it will destroy you because Satan is the destroyer. May you allow yourself to fall into the arms of your Redeemer Christ who is also The Supreme Victor over sin and death.

May we all keep our eyes fixed on Him and in all seasons.

Matthew 2:1-12

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men^[a] from the east came to Jerusalem, ² saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose^[b] and have come to worship him.” ³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴ and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵ They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

⁶ “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” ⁹ After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹ And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

 

I consider myself to be a glass half full kind of person. But when given the “injustice” of the Christmas story… the more I researched, the more I realized we are looking from a glass half empty view for this discussion, if not a glass completely empty view.

Jesus often found himself in unfair situations from the very beginning. He faced many challenges and obstacles that no adults must face. These challenges start with Mary & Joseph. They were faced with Poverty and Hardship. Joseph was stripped of his job. Mary most likely dealt with gossip and rumors being unmarried and pregnant. They had to walk 70 miles to Bethlehem to be counted in the census. They were greeted upon their arrival with no room to be found in a foreign land with just what they had carried with them. They were forced to seek shelter in a stable surrounded by animals.

Jesus was born to face a life full of challenges. He would face hatred towards him, questioning his every move, his every word. He would experience denial of who He was and ultimately betrayal by one closest to Him.

Faith in God’s plan led Mary and Joseph to positive things, their faith rested solely on the first coming of Jesus. They were reassured by God that “everything” would be ok. The new parents still rejoiced even though their situation wasn’t fit for a king. This unfair journey leads to phenomenal things you and I know.

Luke 6:20

Blessed are the poor, for they will inherit the kingdom of Heaven.

 

Jesus Christ, in the flesh, as a defenseless infant had an army of angels who appeared on His behalf. Not to fight with violence but with courage and kindness. Jesus brings promise with him. Jesus brings Hope. Jesus brings Joy.

We live in an unjust world. We all experience injustice at some point. This Christmas season we must remember that Jesus faced the toughest situations. The worst injustice that could happen to someone, happened to Jesus, and He volunteered for it. He volunteered himself to take on the sins of the world so that you and I can receive the gift of eternal life through the cross. I, myself, think that it is unfair for my lord and savior to do that for me. I’m excited because I no longer must be incomplete, but I am allowed to become complete in Christ. In fact, we all become complete when we trust Christ because the most beautiful thing is the hope and joy that came with Jesus.

That’s what we truly needed. Not “materialistic things.” Our hope rests solely on His second coming.

How can so many unfair and dark situations be accompanied by the brightest star in the sky, by the brightest light of our life, and by paving the way for our Savior? That is what Christmas is all about. All of us can know that we received Hope when Jesus was born, but it’s also important to remember the injustice that Jesus had to endure from the very beginning.

Jesus is our Hope today. Jesus is our Joy today. Jesus is our light today and tomorrow.

Oh, come let us adore him, for He is Christ the Lord.

When I was in my early twenties, my grandma was diagnosed with Stage 4 COPD and given only one year to live. I remember how scared she was knowing that her time would be coming to an end. But she wasn’t in despair. She had hope in Jesus. At the funeral, one year later, my stepdad preached the Gospel. The crowd was full of all sorts of faiths and beliefs. Most everyone had heard the message before. What was interesting was the response. The people who didn’t believe in Jesus were hopelessly in despair over the loss of my grandma. While the Christians in the room were understandably grieving, but not to the point of despair. They had hope in Jesus.

We see Jesus bring hope visibly throughout the Bible.

In Luke 2:25-33, we see a short excerpt about Simeon who lived in Jerusalem during the time when Jesus was just a baby. Jerusalem had been waiting for a messiah to bring them comfort. What is unique about Simeon is that the Holy Spirit had told him that Jesus would come to save Jerusalem before he died.

Luke 2:25-33

²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷ And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, ²⁸ he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, ²⁹ “Lord, now you are letting your servant^[a] depart in peace, according to your word; ³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation ³¹ that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, ³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” ³³ And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.

 

As you can see, Simeon (and all of Jerusalem) had hope for a savior, and that hope was fulfilled. Now, Simeon could die in peace. This is one of the greatest pictures of hope.

As we wait today for the second coming of Jesus to restore the Earth, where do we find our hope? The fears and struggles we face daily often take over our lives. Sometimes we feel alone or abandoned by God.

Jeremiah 17:7

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.

 

Do we put our hope Jesus?

I know some of us also struggle with hoping in Jesus because we haven’t seen Him work (however, I promise if you look back over your life, you’ll see visible evidence of the Lord working in your life). Yet, some of us struggle with even believing that the Lord exists.

Romans 8:24

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope.

For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

 

Regardless of if you believe the Bible or not, that’s just common-sense psychology right there. But the Bible is a great place to find more stories about people who have persevered by putting their hope in Jesus.

Romans 15:4

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

I’ll ask this again, where do we find our hope?

 

 

Matthew 1:18–23 ESV 

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

Joseph had a plan. He was going to wed Mary, settle down, raise a family. He thought he had the details of their future all worked out. But word got around to him, before the Angel arrived, that left Joseph wounded and his dreams wrecked. Heartache can be a loneliness that seems to be endless, dark, confusing, and questioning your self-worth. And the moment it hits, it feels like eternity.

Matthew 1:33

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name, Immanuel.” Which is God with us!

 

Matthew was repeating the prophecy spoken by Isaiah nearly 800 years before the birth of Jesus. During that time, God had given this as a sign to Isaiah for the future remnants of Israel. They were to be scattered and separated far from home. God is with us even when the world feels as though it abandoned us. David expressed his loneliness as he ran from Saul.

Psalms 142:4

Look to the right and see; there is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul.

 

David might have been surrounded with 400 men at this time to serve under him, but that did not stop the feelings of being unheard, unknown, and uncared for. The impact of social isolation and loneliness is also extremely harmful to our physical and emotional health. It can decrease life expectancy to the same degree as smoking and is two times more dangerous to our physical health than obesity. Loneliness can also lead many people to lose the sense of purpose and meaning of life. Elijah asked God to take his life as he fled from Jezebel. His state of mind was desolate.

1 Kings 19:4

“It is enough; now, O Lord; take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.

He was depressed, he was desperate and had no one to help deal with the cares of life. Elijah’s torment in isolation had been amplified by exhaustion and hunger. To be widowed can usher in extreme loneliness, not only from death of a loved one but the silence in the home and change of daily activities and constant reminders our beloved is no longer with us. Naomi anticipated bitter loneliness, having already lost her husband and sons; grief is desperately lonely even if her daughters-in-law remained. Ruth was facing possibilities of isolation in a foreign land that could exist beyond her childbearing years. People can be lonely while surrounded by others. Jesus experienced true loneliness at the cross while numerous spectators watched Him die. No one could take His place or share the suffering that was to come. The numbers of people around him only amplified His isolation. Psalm 22:1 was a prophetic note from David that passed from him to his precious descendant on the cross.

Psalm22:1

My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?

The words of Jesus puzzled me for several years. Why would God forsake His own son at such a sad moment? Why? Because it was what I deserved. Jesus took it all, my pain, my punishment and finally my separation. He redeemed me! He restored everything to me and to you. Immanuel, God with us. Even the disciples needed a gentle reminder. Jesus promised his disciples

John 14:18

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

When we turn to Him, God nurtures relationships, build trust, and demonstrates practical mercy for our good and His glory. Don’t take your eyes off Jesus, don’t lose your focus nor yourself.

Hebrews 13:5

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

God is with us. In our darkest hours of isolation and loneliness, He will never desert us, and He will always see us through. Our Heavenly Father delivered our most cherished gift to us on earth over 2000 years ago, Himself. God was born to us in a humble manger. We have something followers of no other religions have. God truly understands me and understands you from the depths of our soul. No other religion has a god who suffered, who had to be courageous, that knows what it is like to be abandoned by friends, crushed by injustice, tortured, and gave up his own life. He is our Comforter and Counselor, Immanuel. When we talk to Jesus, He knows what we are going through even when we do not have the words or strength to articulate and express our inner most needs. Immanuel, God with us. Jesus is our perfect comforter. He has been there and done that.

Hebrews 2:17-18

Therefore, he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

This verse means that God suffered, and Jesus triumphed through suffering. Jesus has the infinite power to comfort. Have you been betrayed, lonely, destitute, ignored and just left in a place where you can’t comprehend your surroundings? God has been there when we venture off course. We can trust and rely on Him because He has the power to comfort, strengthen and bring us through. He calls us friend and offers to be with us and never forsake us. Jesus gives us the gift of His presence, His love, His peace, and His joy every day and in every situation for eternity. Even before God made the world, he decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. The creator of the universe loves us that much! Immanuel, that baby in a manger, grew and chose to sacrifice Himself so that we could be in His presence. What an unspeakable joy it is to know His love for each of us yet how difficult sometimes it is to grasp the concept that as unworthy as I am, He wanted to do that for me! No matter how lonely we feel, we are never alone.

Romans 8:38-39

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angles nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord

The knowledge that God is with us changes everything. Immanuel’s presence provides joy, even in the mist of our loneliness. It does not matter the exact date of the birth of Jesus or that we celebrate a certain date of the year. What is truly important is that You and I accept the gift. The gift that personally changes everything, especially in our loneliest moments. It will never be lost if we choose to receive it. Immanuel, God with us!

The most incredible gift ever given from the most incredible person that loves me and loves you, our Abba Father!