"'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel'--which means, 'God with us.'" (Matthew 1:23 NIV)
God with us. Another reminder from God, another gift. Everywhere, everyday...God with us. My driving focus and prayer for the last 8 days has been to see God and to appreciate His deep love for me. I am writing this out because as I began to read Matthew 1 tonight, in my mind all I could think was how many times I have read this before. The story of Jesus' birth. Then, there it was, there He was in verse 23 reminding me, loving me..."they will call him Immanuel--which means, "God with us." It may as well have said, yes, I am here, with you, still and always...what love! A verse I have probably heard or read hundreds of times, but this time with opened eyes, listening ears, and a grateful heart.
As I read further in chapter 5, another verse jumped off the page. Matthew 5:8 says, "You're blessed when you get your inside world--your mind and heart--put right. Then you can see God in the outside world." (The Message) This verse gripped me because just a few weeks ago I prayed specifically from Psalm 86. I prayed that God would put me together, ONE heart and mind, so that I could worship Him undivided. This is a prayer that I return to frequently as I feel the world pulling me in one direction and His calling in another. It is through this prayer that I am beginning to truly see Him in this world. A gift.
Finally, as I read on to Matthew 5:13 it says, "Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth." In verse 14 it says, "Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world." (The Message). God colors, God flavors. This is what I desire for this blog to be about. Documenting His rich colors and his enticing flavors in my life so that you may begin to see them in yours. He is so faithful to show Himself. After all, He is Immanuel.
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