Devotionals for the Heart: God's Presence at Christmastime and Always

God With Us
A devotional by Cyndi Staudt

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” –Matthew 1:23 (NLT)

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year.

It always felt like Thanksgiving was the Grand Marshal of this electric parade, drawing fall to a close and ushering in the Advent season, a season celebrating the coming of Jesus into the world. My Dad’s birthday was on Christmas Day, which seemed to add to the excitement and joy of the season. Our family shared many traditions—cutting down our tree with hot chocolate in hand, going to Christmas Eve candlelight service, baking endless batches of cookies—that not only served to draw us closer but established heartwarming memories that will never fade.

With all the festivities of the season, as many gather in groups large and small, it might be hard to imagine some feel an overwhelming sense of loneliness, even when surrounded by a large number of people. Maybe it’s a first year without a loved one or separation from someone held dear by distance, death or divorce. Feelings of being alone can actually be intensified when being surrounded by others rather than diminished.

I used to wonder how anyone could be sad or lonely at Christmas until I became that person. When my Dad died six years ago, it seemed the light dimmed on the season just a little. Just enough to allow a smidge of sadness to enter my heart where joy previously resided. As cancer claimed my Mom and my faithful furry friend this year, it seems the sadness has overtaken the joy. Now, loneliness fights to claim more space than it deserves in my spirit. Loneliness and sadness now seem to be automatic, and I have to pursue peace and joy where it once occurred naturally.

I find encouragement in the words of Matthew as he assures us we are never alone, no matter how lonely we might feel. God was intentional when He said Jesus would be called Immanuel, God with us. Not God near us, next to us, or a phone call away. But He is with us. Always. In the valleys and on the mountaintops. In seasons of joy and seasons of sadness. In moments of peace and moments of pain. He knew there were going to be times in our lives when we needed the assurance that no matter what our feelings may be telling us, our faith can claim the promise that God is always with us.

Romans 8:38-39 reassures us that nothing can separate us from Him or His love. Not life nor death. Not angels nor demons. Not our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow. Nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Jesus Christ. And revealing Jesus to the world is what the Christmas season is all about. God leads my lonely heart back to His through reminding me of the reason for this holiday season. While people, memories and traditions help make the season special, the baby in the manger is what makes salvation possible. Jesus Christ’s arrival into the world as a baby, set in motion God’s plans for redemption and initiated the rescue mission we so desperately needed.

We hold a God-sized gap in our hearts that nothing and no one in this world can satisfy. When we are overwhelmed with a sense of aloneness, we can remind ourselves to be intentional about pursuing God’s presence, which is always with us. Christmas may look a little different this year and certainly has a far different feel than years gone by, but the presence of God and the love of our Savior never changes.

God is always with us and waiting for us to draw near to His heart of love.

Let’s Pray: Loving Father, thank you for sending Jesus to be Immanuel, “God with us”. We are grateful You are omnipresent (everywhere) at all times. When our feelings betray us, our faith assures us of who You are, how You are and where You are. As we journey through the Christmas season, let us remember that Jesus is the reason for this season. While the traditions and activities make for wonderful memories and sweet celebrations, help us to keep our eyes and hearts fixed on the Savior who made His arrival into the world to rescue us. Thank You, Jesus, for revealing God’s extravagant love to us. May our faith be restored and our joy made complete in the hope that is Christmas – the hope that is and always will be Jesus! In the name of our mighty and ever-present Savior I pray. Amen.

~*~
Note from Alexis: Cyndi’s devotional reminds me of this song “God is With Us” by Casting Crowns. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Cyndi Staudt is a Jesus-loving, adrenaline junkie who is devoted to living her life for Jesus Christ until the day she is living with Him.

With a passion for cultivating a craving for God’s Word, her devotions and Bible studies are saturated with faith and hope to stir your soul to connect with God in deeper, more intimate ways.

Through her writing she hopes to ignite your desire to read God’s Word, invite your heart to experience God’s love, and inspire you to live your live life “souled out” to the One whose love has no limits.

~*~
Connect with Cyndi:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/souledoutcyndi/

Thankful Thursdays: HOPE Eternal

It’s Thursday and I’m thankful for HOPE but not the kind of fleeting hope of the heart for things we want to have or experience here on Earth…I am thankful for the eternal hope that only accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior can give you.

What brought this on, you may ask?

So glad you asked! The answer is reflection. I’ve been reflecting on words about life and death that I’ve heard over the years and I’ve been thinking about what to say in response that would help people understand why there is hope eternal available to us but we have accept Jesus into our lives to have it.

My reflections that led me to write this blog post today are several. I remembered that one day in my first career as an educator, there was a teacher who told his students something that I still recall today. A student complained to the teacher about something he did that the student thought was unjust. The student cried out, “But that’s not fair!” to which the much older teacher who had been seasoned by life responded, “Life’s not fair and then you die!”

I also recall that time in the teacher’s lounge at a school where I as a substitute teacher (I worked as a "sub" before studying to become a full-time teacher). We were on lunch break. The conversation amongst the teachers in the lounge was about how to live longer and one of the male teachers who walked in on the conversation told his colleagues with a side helping of cynicism, “Everybody dies!” Then he walked out.

Finally, I recall a conversation that I had as an adult with an older friend. She told me that she doesn’t believe in life after death. She believes that after you die, that’s it ... No resurrection by Jesus Christ, no hope of Heaven or fear of hell. So she makes the most of every day because she believes that life is precious.

Now, what is wrong with these scenarios and real-life views? To the people who believe these views nothing is wrong with it for them because everybody is entitled to believe what they want. However, as a person whose life has been not only saved but enriched by a relationship with Jesus Christ, I cannot imagine what it’s like to live with no hope eternal.

I cannot imagine that I’d never see my loved ones who have died again because of the theory that there’s no life after death. I cannot imagine going through all the trials and tribulations here on Earth then knowing that after I die there’s no hope of Jesus Christ returning to Earth to take His faithful followers home to Heaven where we will live with Him in healthy, immortal bodies forever. I cannot imagine that God will not do what He says He will do in His Word (The Holy Bible). I cannot imagine God not keeping His promises to give us eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ (John 3:16) because the Bible says that God does not lie (Numbers 23:19) like we as mere mortals do sometimes.

Even before dying, I cannot imagine living without the hope in Jesus Christ that helps me survive and keeps me alive. He protects me from so much. He gives me hope in seasons of despair. He adds to my quality of life and helps me love others and treat others the way that I would want to be treated.

A verse that came to my mind when I was reflecting on all of this today is found in
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NIV) where followers of Jesus Christ are admonished to not grieve as those who “have no hope.” It addresses the grief process that we all experience when a loved one dies. Before closing, I’d like to share the entire passage with you:

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

In the midst of my reflections, God impressed me with a personal lesson. He showed me that when situations in my life or in the world around me become overwhelming and I feel like I’m sinking into despair, I should NOT feel hopeless. 

I realized that I have a choice: I can allow the issues of life to overwhelm me and feel hopeless OR I can choose to trust God who is Lord over ALL as I remember that no situation is ever hopeless because He is our Eternal Hope.

Please note: If any of you are dealing with chronic illness, depression, despair or any problem that makes you feel like you’re in the dark then do not only pray about, ask God to lead you to a medical professional who can help you. I’ve heard it said many times in real life and on social media that “It’s okay to talk to Jesus (Christ) and a therapist!” Don’t think that you have to handle the storms of life alone. You don’t! You have God and you can be under the care of people who God’s gifted on this Earth to be professional doctors, counselors, therapists, nutritionists, personal trainers…all to help you in every area of life!

In closing, I’d like to share this beautiful song by Terrian. It’s called “God with Us.” 

I hope that her kind, soothing voice will bless your heart and that the message in this song will help you get a glimpse of hope eternal!

Love,

Alexis A. Goring
Founder of "God is Love" blog

Devotionals for the Heart: Miracles

The Season of Miracles
A devotional by Nanci Rubin

"And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name, Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end." 

~Luke 1:31, 32 (KJV)

"And Mary said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word.” And the angel departed from her." ~Luke 1:38 (KJV)

I am ALWAYS awed by Mary’s statement in Luke 1:38 speaking to an angel of the Lord. “Be it unto me.”

Putting Mary into present day, as a young teen, probably between 12-14 years old when she was betrothed to Joseph. Some commentaries have Joseph much older than Mary, but most agree he was probably between 30-40 years of age. I can’t imagine a teenager of today conversing with Gabriel, an arch angel, and saying, “Be it unto me according to thy word.” Especially after him telling her she was going to become pregnant when the Holy Ghost came upon her. Mary was a virgin, she was engaged, and she was the first surrogate.

She was so willing to listen to Gabriel, and her faith in God allowed her to accept the miraculous, and say, “be it unto me.” There would be few, if any, present day youth who would accept such an arrangement, but there are still some. I am reminded of Columbine High School where the horrible massacre of nineteen-ninety-nine took place. It was reported that eighteen-year-old Cassie Bernall stood for her faith and refused to deny Jesus Christ, her savior and Mary’s son.

Then I’m reminded of this young Jewish girl who became the mother of Jesus, our Savior, and the beautiful song, Mary, Did you Know? I get cold chills when I hear the verse, “Mary did you know the child you delivered would one day deliver you?” And, “did you know that when you kissed your baby you kissed the face of God?” 

These phrases bring me to tears when I think of my own child as a baby and realizing Mary’s plight in loving this child. Although Jesus was deity, he was a baby and Mary loved him as a mother would.

Did she know? Yes, Gabriel had witnessed about Jesus, but did she really know? I’m not so sure. His death and crucifixion I don’t believe was something she dwelled upon or even knew as he grew into manhood.

But only imagine, if you can, the horrific moment in time when she was forced to witness the inhumane treatment of her first born and the agony, she felt watching him agonize. I am convinced she could taste the salt of his tears. 

But as miraculous as his birth so was his resurrection. Everything about Jesus is miraculous. This is the season of giving and God sent His son as the greatest gift of all. Share Him with those who do not know him. Give the gift of love. 

May this season bring peace and joy to each household and what a privilege it is for me to be allowed to share this wonderful savior, Jesus, Immanuel, God with us.

Merry Christmas!

~*~
Author Bio:

Nanci is a poet and short story writer published in Cypress News, Family Times E-Zine, Free Verse and the Commonwealth of Poetry.

She belongs to RWA, ACFW, and Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild where she’s enrolled in his novel writing program.

Nanci lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and cats, Romeo and Julliette, along with their newest member of the family, Roni, a seven-month-old Goldendoodle.

Recently, Nanci completed her debut novel, A Betrayal in Cross Keys, an Amish romance. She has placed it in her agent's capable hands. The rest is up to God. 

Thankful Thursday: Acts of Kindness

It’s Thursday and I’m thankful for acts of kindness.

One act in particular stands out in my mind for two reasons: One, it’s fairly recent and two, it’s never happened to me before…Allow me to explain.

In October 2012, I relocated from the East Coast to the Midwest in order to take my first big break in Journalism. Well, things didn’t go as planned and long story short, by mid-December 2012 I was packing up my apartment in order to move back home.

During this time, I experienced a wide range of emotions with everything from being upset at the unfair situations beyond my control that caused me to need to leave to actually being happy because the state I moved to had freezing cold weather like I’d never before experienced.

Somewhere in the midst of my packing up my belongings and getting my apartment ready for the next tenant, I heard a knock at my door. After looking through the peephole, I recognized my neighbor from across the hall, Lindsey who worked as a school teacher and has two adorable kids who baked me cookies for Christmas (but that’s another story). I opened the door with a smile, always happy to see such a positive person. Lindsey returned the smile with a greeting and handed me a card inside of an envelope.

“Thanks,” I said as I took the card and entered into a brief conversation. 

After we spoke, I shut my apartment door and locked it. As I walked toward my kitchen counter, I opened the envelope fully intending to hang the card on my refrigerator door where I had posted all of my other Christmas cards from family and friends. But as I retrieved the card from the envelope and opened it, my eyes grew wide at the contents: Money! There was cash inside, plenty of it. I rushed back to my apartment door and into the hallway. In a matter of seconds, I was knocking on Lindsey’s door which she opened and greeted me with a knowing smile.

“Thank you so much!” I told her from the depths of my heart.

“You’re welcome,” Lindsey replied before giving an explanation. “I’d been thinking about your moving and praying about it and that is what God told me you needed.”

“Well I’m glad you listened to God!” I replied. “It is what I need, Lord knows!”

~*~

My neighbor’s act of kindness touched my heart and renewed my faith in God as Jehovah Jireh which means My Provider because He used Lindsey to help me meet a financial need.

Now that I’ve fully settled back into my home on the East Coast and am continuing my search for a better paying job, I know that God is with me because He spoke through events, people and acts of kindness when I was residing in the Midwest and He continues to work in my life today.

Are you facing a tough turn of events in your life? Are you unsure about the future? Take heart in my sharing one of the lessons I learned when I was away from home and that is simply, even when God is silent, He is still right there with me. Honestly, I’m facing the great unknown when it comes to my career and search for work but when fear tries to overtake me, I remember all the ways God provided for me through people’s acts of kindness. Therefore, I choose to keep trusting Him and move forward in faith because sometimes that’s all you can do.

It’s Thursday. What are you thankful for?

YOU matter!

Dearest of hearts,

I hope that this video by The Hip Hop Preacher Eric Thomas reminds you of your TRUE value and worth in God's eyes which simply is YOU MATTER! God loves you no matter what! He's there for you wherever you go (Psalm 139:8) and He's not giving up on you, EVER!

So when life gets tough, don't GIVE up, LOOK up! :) Because God is there and He cares!

Love,

Alexis