“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

“So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’” Matthew 1:22, 23

 God With Us

Are you suffering a loss this Christmas season? Did you lose a home or a loved one? Do you have painful memories of Christmas past or suffering from chronic pain?

We are surrounded by hurting people, and you may be hurting as well. With the Carr fire and Camp fires in our area and many fires all over the West Coast, and the east coast floods, and suffering all over the world, many people are experiencing loss and may not be celebrating with squeals of delight, but with deep pain of grief and loneliness. But squeals of delight and presents are not what Christmas is about. It is about “God with us,” born among livestock, and placed in a manger.

Jesus told us to “tell them.” He told us to “love them the way He loves us.” Is there a better way for them to know His love than to know you? You are in Him, and He is in you. If you are in Him and He is in you and you hug someone, you can tell them that is a hug from Jesus, because it is!

Please feel the hug from Jesus enclosed in this devotional. As we reach out this season to love and give out of our abundance, or even our lack of abundance, we will show them Jesus’ love. We are called to love others well.

“Father, Your indescribable love sent Your Son to earth as a babe in a manger to show us the way to You. Jesus willingly paid our “price into heaven” by giving His blood on that old, rugged, splintered cross. Help us, Lord, to say thank You by loving the people for whom Jesus died, and thank You that You are with us.”