LEARNING DAILY

Deuteronomy 31:8, It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."

Pastor Jonathon Moore referenced this in his message this weekend. This may seem like a strange Christmas verse. Stay with me and you will understand why I used it for this page of the blog.

Pastor mentioned that people want to be home for Christmas; “they want to be with people they love” (JM). He continued, “There is nothing more powerful than the idea of home. Home is not about square footage or the style of house. It is about the memories and being with people who love each other.”  “Jesus left His home, a perfect place, to come here and step into our home. John 1:14a, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Pastor said, “God Himself put on flesh and entered His creation; ‘Emmanuel, God with us.’ He did not wait for us to find our way to Him; He came to close the gap to God because of sin which separated us from God. Jesus left His home in heaven to make a home in your heart.”

Pastor mentioned the saying, “Home is where the heart is.” Then he changed it to say, “Home is where God’s heart is” meaning that God showed humanity His heart by giving us Jesus as seen in John 3:16. “The Christmas story is a declaration that every person can come home. Matthew 1:21-25, God came to us! Jesus came for us to go home, to be with Him. God wanted to be with us so much that He came to this earth, to save us so we could be with Him for eternity. What caused the shepherds rejoice? What caused the wisemen to bow?” (JM). The answer has already been given – God came to us!

God with us. It means that God came near and because of that those who believe have access to the presence of God. I agree with Pastor Moore that is overwhelming. God is with me, with you, changing everything. Because He is with us, we can feel safe. When we feel weak, He is our strength. Read Deuteronomy 31:8 again. God goes before the Believer. That means the Believer does not have to be stressed out about what is to come today, tomorrow, next week, or in 2026. He goes before the Believer preparing the way for him/her. He has been with you since you believed, even when you did not know it. Look back and think about those times God prevented you from being in that accident or caused events to work differently than you thought (for the better). Pastor said we might have missed those times in real time. But looking back it becomes easier to see God’s involvement. Do you see Him at work?

God is never going to abandon you, Believer! God is never going to fail you, Believer! He is going to be with you everywhere you go; if you are on the mountain top, He is there. If you are going through a valley of trials and difficult circumstances, He is with you. The question to consider is if your life reflects it.

The Believer’s home is in heaven, with God, for eternity. Just as the “home on earth reflects being with the people we love” (JM), God wants His Believers, those who love Him to be with Him in their heavenly home now and for eternity!