God is with us; how deep is that? Pause for a moment and reflect upon the fact that the Creator of the universe, the one who created everything in it including you and me, says “I am with you.” When we are allowed that thought to resonate with us, we begin to understand why Scripture says, “No weapon formed against us will prosper,” Isaiah 54:17. We have the God of the universe on our side.
Christmas is a time in which we remind ourselves of the gift God gave us in His son Jesus. He allowed His son to become one of us to show us the way back to Him. Just like God is a Spirit, the who of who we REALLY are is a spirit; which lives in this casing we call a body, and will live somewhere long after this body wears away. In a world that seems to grow darker and dimmer every day, we need a Savior to light our way. Jesus was given to us as that light to show us the way, but what does that really mean?
Let’s unwrap THE GIFT:
J is for Joy: Joy is an attitude that defies our circumstances, which is different from happiness, which is a feeling based on our circumstances. Jesus came to let us know that we do not have to live discouraged or dismayed, because He is with us and promised to be our strength in times of weakness. The Gift invites us to abide in Him so that we cannot only have joy; but that our joy will be full. Situations and circumstances change, but we can still have joy when we choose to accept The Gift.
E is for Expectation: We can expect that Jesus will do exactly what He says, we just don’t know how; and that allows us to walk by faith and not by sight, as we live with expectation and anticipation of being amazed. He will show up, usually at 11:59 and counting, and work out our situation for our good and His glory.
S is for Suffering: Jesus said, “In this life we can expect persecution; but don’t be discouraged, He overcame therefore we are over-comers,” John 16:33. When we receive The Gift, we put on His righteousness, and in His power we become more than conquerors. We are assured that we will rise above our present suffering because He is with us, and we will come out victorious on the other side.
U is for Universal: The Gift is universal and given irrespective of person. The Gift brings a message of unconditional love and the promised salvation to all mankind. We have this assurance in Romans 10:13, when we are promised that “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
S is for Savior: According to Google, a Savior is, “A person who saves someone or something from danger, and is regarded with the veneration of a religious figure.” In a world in which it appears that the darkness of evil is the order of the day, Jesus was given to be a light to save us from dangers seen and unseen, that accompanies a world in the hands of the wicked one. The Bible tells us that He has but a short time to reign, Revelation 12:12, and that The King of Kings will reestablish His kingdom which will have no end.
One of the last and most beautiful things Jesus did before He went back to His Father was that He prayed for us. Yes, John 17:11-25 informs us that He prayed for us. He asked His Father to keep us safe from the evil one. He asked Daddy to make us pure and holy by teaching us God’s word of truth; and as only a Savior would do, He prayed, “I give myself entirely to you so they also might be entirely yours.”
One of the most frequently quoted passages of Scripture is John 3:16, which tells us that, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” He gave so that even if we feel lonely, we are never alone. Not only is Emmanuel with us, He promised never to leave us or forsake us no matter what it looks like, or feels like, or what others may say that really don’t know Him. “He is our refuge and strength and is always ready to help in times of trouble,” Psalms 46:1.
When we accept The Gift, we can expect to be amazed, have strength for our journey, and rest in the assurance that because He is with us, “no weapon formed against us will prosper.” We can have joy which the world cannot give us. The Gift comes wrapped in love and tied with the bow of eternal life.
This Christmas when you open your presents, make sure you open The Gift that allows all other gifts to be possible. He truly is the gift that keeps giving, and Philippians 2:10-11 tells us, “That at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord; to the glory of God the father.” Daddy has given us a gift, His name is Emmanuel, ‘God is with us’. Open your gift and expect to be amazed and changed.
My chickadees, I pray you have a blessed and joyous Christmas as you celebrate the true reason for the season.
Peace and blessings,
Gail
