“The greatest thing that we can do at Christmas
is bring each other to the manger
and hold Him forever in our hearts.”
I love this card because it sums up Christianity in one sentence. One sentence!
Bring each other to the manger and stand there, holding hands in awe and gratitude as we gaze together at Immanuel, God with us.
God with us, God IN us, God among us.
As you stand there, ponder the Son of Man incarnate, leaving the authority of heaven for the poverty of a cold, stone animal feeding trough. The King of Creation wrapped in itchy cloth, no soft cotton, comfy newborn baby knot set with matching hat and sweet design. No manger bumpers, manger mobile, or diaper genie in sight.
His first visitors were lowly shepherds from the fields, sweaty and unbathed. A foreshadowing of His role as Shepherd to His flock, the Prince of metaphor chose these circumstances to convey who He is to His brethren.
As we reflect on and celebrate the incredible gift we have been given in Jesus, our lifelong task to hold Him forever in our heart is not without challenge. The enemy fiercely tries to convince us to release our hold upon our Savior, through illness, death of loved ones, disappointments, physical trauma, emotional trauma, divorce, estrangement from family, etc.
But we will not release our grip on Jesus! He has sacrificed too much for us to allow our grasp to slip away (a metaphor for allowing our relationship with Jesus to weaken).
Hold Him forever in your heart, beloved! Hold on for dear life for He IS our life. He is life itself!
Let’s be like the angels and twenty-four elders around the Throne who worship day and night without ceasing, singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, The Was, the Is, and the Coming” (Revelation 4:8 TPT). The footnote in The Passion Translation says of this verse, He who was (Christ in His early life) is now the One who is within us (1 Corinthians 14:25; Isaiah 45:14).
Wishing a blessed Christmas to you, beloved friends and readers, and those you love as you bring each other to the manger and hold Him forever in your heart.
Categories: Christmas Devotionals encouragement
Kathryne
Christian author and inspirational speaker of truth that makes the darkness tremble. Author of two non-fiction books at https://linktr.ee/TattooedKing
Kathryne Leach 
For 19 years I’ve hoped to receive some support from christians. But in the west, there’s no love in the churches and we have all the material things we need so we don’t need love and so we don’t practice it. The whole world knows this (as Jesus said His followers are known by their care for each other and nothing else). Someday christians will know it too. I’m unsubscribing from this and all other christian blogs. I hope you all read this, yawn, and go about your lives. Don’t change now.
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I’m sorry to read this Snoopy. I responded in love to you privately last month and you responded to my encouragement w/a dismissive reply. So I disagree that all Christians are not loving. Praying for you.
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