Immanuel: How Is God with Us? - Advent Devotional - December 24

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Immanuel: How God Is with Us?
By Emma Danzey

Bible Reading
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means "God with us”). – Matthew 1:23

Did you know that when you woke up this morning, God was with you? Did you know that when you received that horrible news, God was with you? Did you know that when you reached that goal, God was with you?

One of the most beautiful gifts to give a loved one is quality time. This is one of my top love languages. It does not matter what we are doing, but simply being with my husband makes my heart happy. Being with someone implies closeness, availability, and being on a team. One of the most unique blessings that Jesus gave to us was not just coming to be with us physically and die for our sins (Although vital to our salvation), but He also explained that He needed to ascend to the Father so He could send the Holy Spirit (The Helper) to be with all believers. 

When Jesus walked this earth, individuals sought after Him among crowds trying to be noticed or touch His robe or get just a moment of His time to talk with Him. Now that we have access to the Holy Spirit, we do not have to wait in line, get only a moment to speak or fly to Israel to connect with Jesus. We have His Spirit with us all of the time, no matter what. He is Immanuel, God with us. 

John 16:7 says, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you."

A Renewed Perspective on God’s Presence 

When was the last time that you had gratitude in your heart for being able to have an immediate, uninterrupted, and full-time connection to God? This is something that I forget is a blessing every day. It is easy to live after Pentecost and believe that this is just the norm and it is what we know. However, this presence, this Spirit within us came at a great cost. God left His perfect world to enter our broken one, He took on the weight of our sins when He was perfect, and He blesses us with the opportunity to be redeemed children who always have His presence with us.

One of the most devastating moments in the Garden of Eden was when God had to kick Adam and Eve out of His presence. They learned what it was like to miss Him. He used to walk among them and speak with them, and they had perfect unity and safety in His created world. However, sin stole their ability and our ability to be in the presence of the perfect Lord. Jesus was the only way to be reunited with our Creator. We do not see Him yet, but He has given us the seal of His Holy Spirit as a deposit of His return. 

What Are Some Ways That God Promises He Is with Us?

-He is with us always: Matthew 28:20

-His Spirit is sealed upon every believer. Ephesians 1:13

-He is with us in trials. Isaiah 41:10 

-He is with us in our fears. Psalm 23:4

-He is with us when we are alone. Deuteronomy 31:16

-His Spirit is with us when we are gathered as believers. Matthew 18:20

As we approach this Christmas and we hear the name of Jesus read or sung as Immanuel, may it have an even deeper and richer meaning to us. He gave us Himself and now we have His full attention and love with us always. This is a beautiful gift of salvation that began at the little town of Bethlehem.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

How have you experienced God with you? How can you have peace that He fulfills this promise even when you are not physically seeing Him or feeling His presence? How can you ponder the beauty of Jesus, God coming in flesh to us as a baby this Christmas to be our Savior and give us His Spirit forever? 

Further Reading:
Isaiah 7:14
John 1:14
Matthew 28:19-20

Photo credit: ©Andreas Kretschmer/Unsplash

Emma DanzeyEmma Danzey’s mission in life stems from Ephesians 3:20-21, to embrace the extraordinary. One of her greatest joys is to journey with the Lord in His Scriptures. She is wife to Drew and mom to Graham. Emma serves alongside her husband in ministry, she focuses most of her time in the home, but loves to provide articles on the Bible, life questions, and Christian lifestyle. Her article on Interracial Marriage was the number 1 on Crosswalk in 2021. Most recently, Emma released Treasures for Tots, (Scripture memory songs) and multiple books and devotionals for young children. During her ministry career, Emma has released Wildflower: Blooming Through Singleness, two worship EP albums, founded and led Polished Conference Ministries, and ran the Refined Magazine. You can view her articles on her blog at emmadanzey.wordpress.com and check out her Instagram @Emmadanzey.

Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com

Listen to the Jesus Calling Podcast!

Welcome to this special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, inspired by the topical themes from Sarah Young’s seasonal prayer devotional Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season. Today, we are featuring guests who speak to themes that all of us might be experiencing in this season of winter. As the days grow shorter and the night longer, we are offered a rare gift: permission to stop. This season can be a challenging time for many, and if you are struggling with low spirits, please know you are not alone, and help is available. This episode is an opportunity to honor your weariness, to resist the urge to rush, and to discover the profound healing that happens when we simply let ourselves rest in the stillness. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow Jesus Calling on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!

 

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Salem Radio Network Speakers

Larry Elder is an American lawyer, writer, and radio and television personality who calls himself the "Sage of South Central" a district of Los Angeles, Larry says his philosophy is to entertain, inform, provoke and to hopefully uplift. His calling card is "we have a country to save" and to him this means returning to the bedrock Constitutional principles of limited government and maximum personal responsibility. Elder's iconoclastic wit and intellectual agility makes him a particularly attractive voice in a nation that seems weary of traditional racial dialogue.” – Los Angeles Times.

Mike Gallagher Mike Gallagher began his broadcasting career in 1978 in Dayton, Ohio. Today, he is one of the most listened-to talk radio show hosts in America, recently having been ranked in the Talkers Magazine “Heavy Hundred” list – the 100 most important talk radio hosts in America. Prior to being launched into national syndication in 1998, Mike hosted the morning show on WABC-AM in New York City. Today, Talkers Magazine reports that his show is heard by over 3.75 million weekly listeners. Besides his radio work, Mike is seen on Fox News Channel as an on-air contributor, frequently appearing on the cable news giant.

Hugh Hewitt is one of the nation’s leading bloggers and a genuine media revolutionary. He brings that expertise, his wit and what The New Yorker magazine calls his “amiable but relentless manner” to his nationally syndicated show each day.

When Dr. Sebastian Gorka was growing up, he listened to talk radio under his pillow with a transistor radio, dreaming that one day he would be behind the microphone. Beginning New Year’s Day 2019, he got his wish. Gorka now hosts America First every weekday afternoon 3 to 6pm ET. Gorka’s unique story works well on the radio. He is national security analyst for the Fox News Channel and author of two books: "Why We Fight" and "Defeating Jihad." His latest book releasing this fall is “War For America’s Soul.” He is uniquely qualified to fight the culture war and stand up for what is great about America, his adopted home country.

Broadcasting from his home station of KRLA in Los Angeles, the Dennis Prager Show is heard across the country. Everything in life – from politics to religion to relationships – is grist for Dennis’ mill. If it’s interesting, if it affects your life, then Dennis will be talking about it – with passion, humor, insight and wisdom.

Sean Hannity is a conservative radio and television host, and one of the original primetime hosts on the Fox News Channel, where he has appeared since 1996. Sean Hannity began his radio career at a college station in California, before moving on to markets in the Southeast and New York. Today, he’s one of the most listened to on-air voices. Hannity’s radio program went into national syndication on September 10, 2001, and airs on more than 500 stations. Talkers Magazine estimates Hannity’s weekly radio audience at 13.5 million. In 1996 he was hired as one of the original hosts on Fox News Channel. As host of several popular Fox programs, Hannity has become the highest-paid news anchor on television.

Michelle Malkin is a mother, wife, blogger, conservative syndicated columnist, longtime cable TV news commentator, and best-selling author of six books. She started her newspaper journalism career at the Los Angeles Daily News in 1992, moved to the Seattle Times in 1995, and has been penning nationally syndicated newspaper columns for Creators Syndicate since 1999. She is founder of conservative Internet start-ups Hot Air and Twitchy.com. Malkin has received numerous awards for her investigative journalism, including the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) national award for outstanding service for the cause of governmental ethics and leadership (1998), the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award for Investigative Journalism (2006), the Heritage Foundation and Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity's Breitbart Award for Excellence in Journalism (2013), the Center for Immigration Studies' Eugene Katz Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Immigration Award (2016), and the Manhattan Film Festival's Film Heals Award (2018). Married for 26 years and the mother of two teenage children, she lives with her family in Colorado. Follow her at michellemalkin.com. (Photo reprinted with kind permission from Peter Duke Photography.)

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Immanuel: How Is God with Us? - Advent Devotional - December 24

Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

The Crosswalk Devotional updated banner logo

Immanuel: How God Is with Us?
By Emma Danzey

Bible Reading
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means "God with us”). – Matthew 1:23

Did you know that when you woke up this morning, God was with you? Did you know that when you received that horrible news, God was with you? Did you know that when you reached that goal, God was with you?

One of the most beautiful gifts to give a loved one is quality time. This is one of my top love languages. It does not matter what we are doing, but simply being with my husband makes my heart happy. Being with someone implies closeness, availability, and being on a team. One of the most unique blessings that Jesus gave to us was not just coming to be with us physically and die for our sins (Although vital to our salvation), but He also explained that He needed to ascend to the Father so He could send the Holy Spirit (The Helper) to be with all believers. 

When Jesus walked this earth, individuals sought after Him among crowds trying to be noticed or touch His robe or get just a moment of His time to talk with Him. Now that we have access to the Holy Spirit, we do not have to wait in line, get only a moment to speak or fly to Israel to connect with Jesus. We have His Spirit with us all of the time, no matter what. He is Immanuel, God with us. 

John 16:7 says, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you."

A Renewed Perspective on God’s Presence 

When was the last time that you had gratitude in your heart for being able to have an immediate, uninterrupted, and full-time connection to God? This is something that I forget is a blessing every day. It is easy to live after Pentecost and believe that this is just the norm and it is what we know. However, this presence, this Spirit within us came at a great cost. God left His perfect world to enter our broken one, He took on the weight of our sins when He was perfect, and He blesses us with the opportunity to be redeemed children who always have His presence with us.

One of the most devastating moments in the Garden of Eden was when God had to kick Adam and Eve out of His presence. They learned what it was like to miss Him. He used to walk among them and speak with them, and they had perfect unity and safety in His created world. However, sin stole their ability and our ability to be in the presence of the perfect Lord. Jesus was the only way to be reunited with our Creator. We do not see Him yet, but He has given us the seal of His Holy Spirit as a deposit of His return. 

What Are Some Ways That God Promises He Is with Us?

-He is with us always: Matthew 28:20

-His Spirit is sealed upon every believer. Ephesians 1:13

-He is with us in trials. Isaiah 41:10 

-He is with us in our fears. Psalm 23:4

-He is with us when we are alone. Deuteronomy 31:16

-His Spirit is with us when we are gathered as believers. Matthew 18:20

As we approach this Christmas and we hear the name of Jesus read or sung as Immanuel, may it have an even deeper and richer meaning to us. He gave us Himself and now we have His full attention and love with us always. This is a beautiful gift of salvation that began at the little town of Bethlehem.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

How have you experienced God with you? How can you have peace that He fulfills this promise even when you are not physically seeing Him or feeling His presence? How can you ponder the beauty of Jesus, God coming in flesh to us as a baby this Christmas to be our Savior and give us His Spirit forever? 

Further Reading:
Isaiah 7:14
John 1:14
Matthew 28:19-20

Photo credit: ©Andreas Kretschmer/Unsplash

Emma DanzeyEmma Danzey’s mission in life stems from Ephesians 3:20-21, to embrace the extraordinary. One of her greatest joys is to journey with the Lord in His Scriptures. She is wife to Drew and mom to Graham. Emma serves alongside her husband in ministry, she focuses most of her time in the home, but loves to provide articles on the Bible, life questions, and Christian lifestyle. Her article on Interracial Marriage was the number 1 on Crosswalk in 2021. Most recently, Emma released Treasures for Tots, (Scripture memory songs) and multiple books and devotionals for young children. During her ministry career, Emma has released Wildflower: Blooming Through Singleness, two worship EP albums, founded and led Polished Conference Ministries, and ran the Refined Magazine. You can view her articles on her blog at emmadanzey.wordpress.com and check out her Instagram @Emmadanzey.

Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com

Listen to the Jesus Calling Podcast!

Welcome to this special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, inspired by the topical themes from Sarah Young’s seasonal prayer devotional Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season. Today, we are featuring guests who speak to themes that all of us might be experiencing in this season of winter. As the days grow shorter and the night longer, we are offered a rare gift: permission to stop. This season can be a challenging time for many, and if you are struggling with low spirits, please know you are not alone, and help is available. This episode is an opportunity to honor your weariness, to resist the urge to rush, and to discover the profound healing that happens when we simply let ourselves rest in the stillness. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow Jesus Calling on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!

 

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Sponsored Links

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