My Name is I AM!

A wonderful quote I thought I would share by Helen Mellincost...

I was regretting the past and fearing the future. Suddenly God was speaking: "My name is I Am." I waited and God continued: "When you live in the past, with its mistakes and regrets, it is hard. I am not there. My name is not I was. When you live in the future, with its problems and fears, it is hard. I am not there. My name is not I will be. When you live in this moment, it is not hard. I am here. My name is I AM."

"God said to Moses, "I Am Who I Am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation. ~Exodus 3:14-15

"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I Am!" ~John 8:28

"While I am in the world, I Am the Light of the world." ~John 9:5

" I Am The Gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture." ~John 10:9

"I Am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep... I Am the Good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me" ~John 10:11 & 14

"I Am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies" ~John 11:25

"Jesus answered, "I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." ~John 14:6

RISEN INDEED!

"Come, see the place where the Lord lay," with joy and gladness. He does not lie there now. Weep, when ye see the tomb of Christ, but rejoice because it is empty. Thy sin slew Him, but His divinity raised Him up. Thy guilt hath murdered Him, but His righteousness hath restored Him. Oh! He hath burst the bonds of death, He hath ungirt the cerements of the tomb, and hath come out more than conqueror, crushing death beneath His feet. Rejoice, O Christian, for He is not there—He is risen.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Immanuel 24/7

God With Us  
This devotional was written by Jim Liebelt 

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

None of us living today have actually seen God. This doesn’t cause me any concern, because we have the Scriptures, fellow-believers, and the Holy Spirit living within us to demonstrate God’s ongoing presence in our world.

But, can you imagine the opportunity those who lived when Jesus lived on earth had? Those who saw Jesus, saw God. Can you imagine the disciples? They walked, talked, and shared meals with God. Can you imagine the Apostle John? He laid his head on God. John 13:23 (NASV)  says, “There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom, one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.”

In Jesus, God became man, and lived among us (See John 1). Through His life, He revealed God to us. And, the impact of His presence with us still shapes and transforms lives. He is still present through His Holy Spirit to transform yours.

We celebrate Christmas for the miracle that in Jesus, God is with us.

Personal Note from Sherry:  Immanuel is one of my favorite names of God because it is a constant reminder that He is here with me, not just once in a while, not some of the time, not when He feels like it - He is - God with me - at all times!!!  WOW! It is difficult to imagine God becoming a man and coming to earth, but even more amazing to understand that He came and dwelt among us and then stayed!  Would you have done the same? With all of the pain and hardship brought on by man's sinfulness, would you have chosen to stay? Can't say I would have - but our Everlasting God did!  That is the reason that we can, with great joy and hope celebrate Christmas 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (plus 1 for leap year)

Love and blessings to all of you as you continue to live for Him alone. 

Many families choose not to include Santa Claus as a part of their Christmas celebrations. The legend of Santa, the North Pole, flying reindeer, keeping naughty and nice lists, and coming down the chimney can seem as just too much distraction from the true meaning of Christmas for many Christian families. But, whatever your family chooses to do with Santa Claus, it may be worthwhile to consider the historical St. Nicholas.

“Nicholas lived long ago, in the third century, in a place called Asia Minor, what is now the country of Turkey. His parents died from an illness while Nicholas was a teenager and left him a large inheritance of money. Nicholas’ parents taught him about Jesus. As he grew older, he followed the teachings of Jesus and sold all his possessions, secretly giving money to those in need.

“Nicholas became well-loved by the people and later became the Bishop of Myra. He died on December 6, 343 A.D. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration in his honor, called St. Nicholas Day. On this day, children would give and receive small gifts of candy, chocolate initial letters, or riddles hidden in baked goods or in elaborate packaging. Children also hung stockings by the fire or placed shoes filled with carrots and hay for the horse, eagerly awaiting gifts from St. Nicholas. Gold balls or oranges were given to represent the gifts of gold once given by St. Nicholas.” ¹

Influenced by St. Nicholas’ popularity in Europe, immigrants brought his story and tradition to America. Over the years, legend was wedded to historical elements and developed into our modern day Santa Claus.

While we celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus, we can have an appropriate appreciation for the lives He has touched. This includes those whose lives demonstrated compassion and selflessness out of their love for Jesus. St. Nicholas was such a person. May we be as well.

The Bridegroom and His Bride

"As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you."   ~ Isaiah 62:5

Isn't this the moment that we desire most - to be in the fullness of His Presence and to realize that we will be with Him forever. It makes the hardships of these present days much easier as we can see glimpses of eternity.  The moment that we are ushered into His Presence, the moment that we fully culminate this relationship as the Lover of our souls takes us in His arms, everything else will be forgotten as we will be focused from that moment on His glory alone forever and ever. 





" My lover spoke and said to me, "Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me." ~ Song of Solomon 2:10



"I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.'" ~Revelation 21:2-3



Now, that is one "story" that will truly have a fairy tale ending!

I pray that all of you are well and that you are finding joy in the waiting... Selah!