God With Us! — Abide In Him

for December 12-14

God was with ancient Israel to accomplish His purposes in offering salvation to mankind. Yet, as mankind is prone to do, when it was time to take the Promised Land they fell into cowardice and unbelief. Numbers 14:43 says,

“For there the Amalekites and the Canaanites are facing you,

and you shall fall by the sword.

Because you have turned back from following the LORD,

the LORD will not be with you.”

They were living for themselves rather than for the purposes and glory of their Commander. Unbelief robs us, and it also robs God of His rightful due. We are rejoicing this Advent season that God wants to be with us. We see here that unbelievers are rejecting the invitation for God to be with them. They want God to not be with them.

Left to our own devices, not one of us would have believed or chosen to walk with God. We love Him because He first loved us. We chose Him, because He first chose us. We were in the darkness of unbelief, not knowing “God with us,” but the light has come!

“‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel’

(which means, God with us).”

Matthew 1:23

Immanuel, thank You for coming! Thank You for the gift of saving faith that assures our being with You, and You being with us, for all eternity!