[Friday's Devotional] - And God himself will be WITH them

5    And God himself will be WITH them Through this week we have been reflecting on just a few notions based on the declaration at the birth of Jesus that 'God is with us'. It might be nearing the end of January and Christmas is long gone but there is a blast of encouragement and joy that shouldn't be missed. John, in outlining his 'revelation from Jesus Christ' has some important things to say about God being with us. His theme draws on an understanding of the writings of the poet Isaiah and his context is a church under extreme persecution from the power of Rome. This is what he declares: "Then I saw 'a new heaven and new earth', for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 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, 'Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell WITH them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.'" Revelation 21.1-3 [NIV]     It seems that God's purpose in creation is to be WITH it; Father, Son and Spirit in relationship together and with US. How incredible is that! 'Lord God, we praise and thank you that you have revealed yourself and your purposes to such as us. Forgive us for our lack of understanding and devotion ….and encourage us, please, to walk faithfully with you. Amen.'   Richard Farnell    Twitter Website Copyright © 2018 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!