Live God Adventures

December 10

“This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” which means, “God with us.” When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” Matthew 1:18-25

I recently did a blog post called “Trust God even when you cannot see.” It brings up the thought that sometimes God gives us what we need but it doesn’t look like what we thought. Will we still trust Him as Sovereign? Joseph needed a Savior, Joseph needed a blood sacrifice for His sins. But He didn’t expect that to happen by the woman he was engaged to becoming pregnant even though she was a virgin and her giving birth to the Savior. He didn’t expect to raise and hold and steward this Jesus who was with God when everything was spoken into existence. Even though things didn’t look like what Joseph expected, he trusted God anyway and followed where God led.

Do we allow expectations and comparisons to rule and reign in certain areas of our life? I know we want to say “No way!” But… do we? Do we allow societies expectations of our relationship status, body type, family relationships, “relationship goals” and so many other things. Our focus should be on Jesus and what He says about us. Where can we find that? In the Word! Get in the Word and find out what He says about you.

Immanuel means “God with us.” God is with us in every moment. He cares for us, goes before us, and His plans for us are good.

Journal Prompts:

Take some time and think about different areas that you may have let comparison and expectations sneak into your thoughts. Write at the top of the page “Immanuel, God is with me.” Then list below it different areas of your life, (example: Marriage, children, friendships, ministry, work, be specific!) and write (or just pray) a prayer thanking the Lord for being with you in these areas.

Family Activities:

On a piece of paper write in large letters “Immanuel” then below that write “God is with us.” As a family decorate the page with art or areas of your life that you can thank God for being with you.

—

I created a phone background! Use it if you’d like!

The holiday season is my favorite time of year! I say holiday season because it really starts in September/October for me. The air is a bit more “crisp” (hah.. I live in Florida, maybe I’m just dreaming…), there are more opportunities to see family, Harvest Festivals in October, Thanksgiving in November, Christmas in December, then New Years! This season is my favorite! However, we can become so bombarded with life, get togethers, schedules, parties, meetings, events, and so many other things that we forget what the Christmas season is about. I wanted to take this opportunity to create a devotional that will hopefully bring you (and your children if you have them) closer to the Lord this season. The devotionals will all be listed below and will be shared Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until Christmas Day on the Facebook page (do you follow there?!). You will see options for activities if you have children, journaling prompts, and other things throughout the month. Weekly posting will resume Christmas Eve, December 24th. Feel free to share the devotional with your family and friends! Keep in touch on Facebook and I would love to see pictures if you do the crafts, journals, etc!