DAILY VIDEO DEVOTIONAL
“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)
It was one of the great miracles of the twentieth century. More than 200,000 people gathered in the main square of Timisoara, Romania, to protest the attack on Christians when an evangelical pastor was to be arrested. Peter Dugalescu, pastor of the First Baptist Church and a longtime friend, began to speak to the crowd about Jesus. All of their lives, the listeners had been taught there is no God. But in one divine moment, the spirit of atheism was blown out of the country. People began to shout, “Existe Dumnezeu! Existe Dumnezeu!” (There is a God! There is a God!)
At that moment, everything in Romania changed. Faith erupted in the hearts of the people. They went against tanks, machine guns, and the highly feared Securitate, Romania’s secret police. They had no weapons but the newfound faith in their hearts. People rushed the television station in Bucharest. After they captured the station, they went on the air and the first words uttered were “Dumnezue este cu noi!” (God is with us!). The nation was shocked. For decades they had heard only atheistic propaganda. But now an entire nation was awakened to the fact that God exists — and He was with the people.
An entire nation was awakened with those words, “God is with us.” In one of the darkest moments of that country’s history, hope flooded the hearts of the people — when they came to understand that God was with them. Out of darkness came light. Out of despair came hope. Out of bondage came liberty, and out of defeat came victory — all because of one simple fact: God was with the people.
Those words are powerful because they are a perfect description of the nature of God. One of the names given to Jesus is “Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.” God has primarily revealed Himself to the world in three different ways. In the Old Testament He made Himself known as “God for us.” In the epistles, He’s “God in us.” But in the Gospels, He is “God with us.”
Jesus existed in the form of God in eternity past, and He will continue to exist as God in eternity future. But in one moment of human history, He clothed Himself with human flesh. God came and dwelt among us. God with us would make the way for God to dwell in us. He was the light that would shatter mankind’s darkness. His presence among men would bring hope to hopeless hearts.
Perhaps you’ve been discouraged or you face a dark and difficult situation. Remember there is One who is called Immanuel, “God with us.” Look to Him, and He will lighten your world. Call on Him and He will deliver you. Run to Him and He will embrace you. If the thought of “God with us” can transform a nation, just think what the person “God with us” can do in your life. Jesus is Immanuel. Trust Him. He will be with you.
Matthew : Chapter 1
18) This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[d]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19) Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[e] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20) 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. 21) She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[f] because he will save his people from their sins.” 22) All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23) “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[g] (which means “God with us”). 24) When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
Book of the Month
Sammy Tippit told his fiancée, “I can’t promise we’ll be rich, but life won’t be boring.”
Sammy had no idea what an understatement that would become. Beginning in the bars of Baton Rouge and the nightclubs of Chicago, Tippit has shared the news of life-changing faith in Christ all over the world – including in the middle of a revolution in Romania, the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda, and war in Burundi and the Congo.
Sammy’s lifelong adventure has come at a great price. He’s been cursed, threatened, arrested, deported, and blacklisted. He’s also been personally broken, ravaged with illness, and devastated by grief.
Yet he continues to preach to in stadiums, in open fields, and via satellite technology to hundreds of thousands around the globe. For all other books…
About Sammy Tippit Ministries
STM has been providing inspiration and help around the world for nearly 50 years. Sammy Tippit, founder and president, is a world renowned counselor, teacher and evangelist with experience serving and helping people in over 80 countries. Sammy provides materials that help people tackle a broad array of social, societal, psychological and spiritual issues. He is particularly passionate about making materials accessible to other countries around the world. Sammy is married to Debara “Tex” Tippit, and they have two children and five grandchildren.
Sammy Tippit Ministries is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization.
Contact: info@sammytippit.org
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