The Gift, a Song, and a Practice

The Gift
God with us. How many times have we heard that phrase? Do we truly understand the profound meaning of it? God sent Jesus, his Son, into the world in bodily form to walk with humanity, to be with us. I can’t fathom the idea of sending one of my five sons to a world that would reject him and kill him, let alone my ONLY son. That is how much God loves us and wants to be with us!

 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

“…and they shall call his name Immanuel.” (which means, God with us). Matthew 1:23

I’ve never been to heaven, but I can imagine if I had been, I would never want to leave. Not only did Jesus leave heaven to be with us, but he came to be like us; to talk with us, have feelings like we do, taste food, be tempted, and share in our humanity in every way possible, apart from sinning. He walked in our shoes so he could meet us face to face and demonstrate the love of God to us. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords left his throne in heaven for a manger bed in a stinky stable- to be with us!

A Song
A song we frequently sing in church has been stuck in my head the last few weeks. It’s possible the reason it’s stuck there reveals itself in the first sentence of the chorus- “God with us, God for us.” This theme has weaved its way throughout my life lately.

Chorus of “God with Us” by Jesus Culture

“God with us, God for us
Nothing can come against
No one can stand between us
God with us, God for us
Nothing can come against
No one can stand between us”

A Practice
In his book, “Practicing the Presence of God.” Brother Lawrence tells of his quest to live life focused on God’s presence. It has caused me to question daily whether I am keeping the same practice. Life can so easily distract me from God. To “practice” his presence takes deliberate actions; seeking him, talking to him, and turning back to him when I’ve been carried away by other thoughts and other things. 

At Christmas time, perhaps more than any other time of year, we have a special opportunity to reset our focus. While we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we can deliberately begin, or continue, practicing the presence of God throughout the hours of each day. He is here, he is working, and he promised to never leave us. 

“…behold, I am with you always, to end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

That fills me with great hope, how about you?

Christmas blessings,
Charlotte