Immanuel, God is with us!
Matthew 1:23
The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, “God with us”.
As we share in our traditions this Christmas, we joyfully celebrate a moment in history – THE moment in history, the pivot point for humankind: Immanuel, God is with us.
He is with us indeed! Set your heart to enjoy Him this Christmastime. Invite Him to spend this festive period with you; be sure to let Him into your season of joy. And receive the presents He has for you this year – new gifts of faith, of love and of hope. These are gifts dispatched directly from your Father in Heaven, your Father of lights, from whom comes every good gift and perfect gift.
His gifts – His presents – are unforgettable and un-tarnishable. They are presents that will never rust,decay or be destroyed; heavenly treasures.
Fill this Christmas time with the presence of Christ, Immanuel. Be filled with Him. Receive His blessings. Receive!
James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Matthew 6:19
Do not lay up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
1 Corinthians 13:8-10,12-13 (Msg.)
Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
