God With Us预览

God With Us Always

Remember God’s story? We sampled it in yesterday’s devotional. God’s all about being with us. Yesterday’s reading ended at the beginning of Jesus’ life on Earth. We read from Matthew 1, the part of the Christmas story when the angel told Joseph that Jesus will be called Immanuel, God with us. Today, we start with the last verse of the last chapter of Matthew, the end of Jesus’ time on Earth. 

At this point, Jesus had paid the one-time price for our sins, He’d been raised to life three days later, and then He’d spent a few weeks with His disciples. As Jesus prepared to leave, He used some of His last words to say, “I will be with you always.” 

Wait, what? Can you hear the disciples’ collective sigh? I’m not sure I’m picking up what you’re laying down, Jesus. Is this another one of your rabbi mind tricks? You’ve been here with us on Earth 30-some years. You were with us, personally, the last three. You were dead for three days. Thank God, literally, You came back. Now You’re leaving but promising to be with us always?

In John chapter 14, Jesus prepared His disciples for this difficult season. Jesus is good at that, isn’t He? He hinted that He’d be leaving and that He’d ask the Father to send the “advocate” or in the Greek: Paraklētos. This word describes someone who stands beside, counsels, comforts, and empowers. The Holy Spirit. 

Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, literally says our new advocate will not only be with us, but in us. It’s as if in that moment, Jesus put His reputation, His own God-given name, the entire history of the with-us God on the line when He introduced us to Paraklētos, the Holy Spirit. In other words, Jesus was saying, ‘You’ve come to know God with you, but I’m talking about the coming Paraklētos, God in you.’ 

Imagine Santa comes down the chimney into your living room, spends Christmas with you, then tells your kids He has to go back up, but He’s leaving behind all the gifts, joy, cheer, and magic of the North Pole forever. “You’ll never have to mail Santa a wish list again, kids.” 

Except God’s story is real. Through the Holy Spirit, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is not only with us, but in us, beside us—our strength, power, counsel, and Comforter always! “You’ll never have to hurl worried prayers at a distant God again, kids.”

Have you heard from the Holy Spirit lately? How can you tune in to God inside you?

Pray: Holy Spirit, fill my life with You. With Your counsel, love, and power, always.