{"id":36098,"date":"2023-12-25T03:30:43","date_gmt":"2023-12-25T11:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=36098"},"modified":"2023-12-17T16:23:21","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T00:23:21","slug":"december-25-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2023\/12\/25\/december-25-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"December 25, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Emmanuel<\/strong><\/h2>\n
WRITTEN BY SALLY MCCLUNG*<\/h6>\n

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.\u00a0My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.”<\/em>\u00a0Psalm 28:7<\/p>\n

I can hardly believe that the year is almost over.\u00a0It seemed to fly by quicker than expected. It was a year of contrasts: Joy and sorrow.\u00a0Trials and triumphs.\u00a0Healing and sickness. Smiles and tears.\u00a0Peace and nervousness.\u00a0Abundance and need.\u00a0It reminded me of the book of Ecclesiastes\u2014a time for everything.<\/p>\n

This month is all about celebrating the birth of Jesus.\u00a0I love this month! I’m so grateful He came, and I rejoice that He is our Emmanuel\u2014God with us. I wouldn’t survive a minute without Him being with me.<\/p>\n

When I am going through a rough time, my favorite thing to do is to take a few minutes and speak out what Jesus is to me.\u00a0He is my Refuge.\u00a0My Rock.\u00a0My Fortress.\u00a0My strong Tower that I run to.\u00a0My Strength.\u00a0My Healer.\u00a0My Provider.\u00a0My Comfort.\u00a0My Encourager.\u00a0My Companion.\u00a0My sufficient Grace. My Joy.\u00a0My Protector.\u00a0My Hope. My Counselor. My Courage.\u00a0I could go on and on.\u00a0He is my Everything!<\/p>\n

When I speak out all that Emmanuel is to me, it puts things in perspective.\u00a0It balances things out.\u00a0When I don’t do that, I can easily get overwhelmed with problems and forget that Emmanuel is with me.<\/p>\n

I’m so grateful for His help and presence\u2014day and night, 24\/7, in whatever weather we’re having, during times of load shedding. I can call on Him with whatever need I have.\u00a0It is such a comfort to know He’s with me.\u00a0I’m not alone.<\/p>\n

God never promised to keep us from all of life’s storms and problems. BUT He has promised to go with us through them. I am so grateful that He is WITH us and helps us when we call on Him!<\/p>\n

Jesus, You brought God to us. You helped us understand the Father. You taught us to talk to Him, live with Him, and listen to Him. You are genuinely \u201cGod With Us.\u201d We praise You today as we remember You humbled Yourself to become a baby, a child, a man, a human being, when You already existed as Wonderful, Counselor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. May we ever seek Your manifest presence. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n

*Sally McClung is a speaker, author, and mission\u2019s leader, residing in Cape Town, South Africa. She is the wife of the late Floyd McClung and co-founder of All Nations, which equips people from many different cultures to share the good news of Jesus in more than 30 different countries each year. You can read more about Sally and her unexpected journey at:\u00a0floydandsally.com<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/div>
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