At•One•Ment: Growing to Knowing God

Copyright © 2014 Jan Ellis.

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Taken from My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers, edited by James Reimann, copyright 1992 by Oswald Chambers Publications Assn.,Ltd., and used by permission of Discovery House Publishers, Grand Rapids MI 49501. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4908-5263-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-5264-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014916957

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/29/2014

Contents

Avowing

Our Father, who is in heaven Our Father, who is in heaven omparing atonement and at-one-

Hallowing

Hallowed be your name Hallowed be your name Praising and worshiping God with gratitude

Flowing

Your kingdom come Your Kingdom comeBeing aware of His grace and passing it on

Showing

Your will be done Your will be done Responding to God’s will and His love by faith and obedience

Sowing

On earth as it is in heaven. On earth as it is in heaven. Allowing the fruit of our actions to glorify Him with intention

Slowing

Give us this day our daily bread

Glowing

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. Letting Jesus’ light shine in all we say and do: Forgiven and forgiving

Narrowing

And do not lead us into temptation

Following

But deliver us from evil

Owing and Going

For Yours is the kingdom

Growing

And the power And the power Learning more and more about Him

Knowing

And the glory forever. Amen And the Glory forever. Amen. Trusting in His truth with Spirit power and knowing that all His promises are true Serving and helping others

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. The Living Bible, TLB, and the The Living Bible logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson,Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All Scripture quotations in this publications are from The Message. Copyright (c) by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (GNT) are from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version- Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.

Scripture taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers. All rights reserved.

Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture is taken from GOD’S WORD®, © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group.

To my life mate and my love mate, Sonny:

I look forward to eternity with you

Acknowledgments

With infinite gratitude, I thank the following:

To my Father, God, who eternally holds me close.

To my Savior, Jesus, who shows and knows no bounds in sharing His love.

To my Comforter Spirit, who is willing to live in my ewe-heart.

To my precious husband, Sonny, who taught me how to be loved.

To my children, Chuck, Lisa, Kara, and son-in-love, Greg, who gave me countless reasons to learn and practice love.

To my grandchildren, Alex and Tori, who offer endless reasons to give love.

To my editor and sister-friend, Donna E. Anderson, who has been my tireless scribe and my calm and cogent birthing coach, to ensure delivery of this baby.

To my dear friend Michelle Germano, who introduced me to the Father of my heart, the Savior of my soul, and the true Spirit of my spirit.

To my faith-filled family and friends, who have prayed for me, encouraged me, listened to me, and loved me, through the trials and triumphs of this personal mission. Included are Marla (my head cheerleader); Peggy, Nicki, Traudi, Betty, and Donna (the sisters of the Spirit [sotS]); Pat, Becky, and Susan (my UVA angels); my mom and dad in heaven; Conrad; my spiritual mom, Betty Westerveld; Joyce, and my Coastal Community Church family; and to those who have impacted my life in countless ways—abundant blessings to each one of you.

I value you all beyond measure.

Introduction

Life is weird.

Right in the midst of pressing stress, where cares stare all day and all night, God can weave His golden thread into the tapestry that is our life.

At the time, my life was being stung by a swarm of challenges, and then He put this bee in my bonnet, and it wouldn’t stop buzzing. It all started when I kept coming across the word atonement in my devotionals. I wasn’t used to seeing this word. I thought that there was a more contemporary term. Maybe I’m just reading outdated authors too much—guys like Oswald Chambers and Charles Spurgeon (I call them Ozzie and Charlie).

So I kept seeing atonement, though strangely, I read it as at-one-ment. It felt similar to when I was learning how to read in probably second grade before I realized that a word I was reading as now-here was actually no-where. (Am I dyslexic?)

Well, now (here) I’m thinking that at-one-ment is a pretty cool word. I just like the way it sounds and how it has a connection to the meaning of atonement. Not until I began doing a more intensive word study did I realize how truly connected the two words are. In fact, I was surprised how often the word atonement appears in Scripture; Strong’s Concordance lists seventy-eight appearances in the Word.

As I examined further, the sheer importance of atonement stunned me. I realized how vital it is for our well-being. In fact, without it, we’re dead—dead in our transgressions, dead in our trespasses, dead in our debts, and dead in our sins.

The words that Webster’s Dictionary uses to define atonement are reconciliation, reparation, and satisfaction. It even includes this definition: the reconciliation of God and man through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.

As I delved even further, I noted the numerous opportunities that God gave His people to atone for their sins under the old covenant. They could maintain a relationship with Holy God only through following the constraints of the law, which time and time again only showed how the people wouldn’t and couldn’t obey the law, and how profoundly they needed a Savior. The failures of God’s people riddle the Old Testament, which constantly reveals the endless cycle of sinning to remorse to atoning to restored relationship to more sin to more remorse to more atoning (only a temporary fix through animal sacrifice), on and on without end.

One fact remained: The sacrifices could never keep up with the sins. So, in the midst of these revelations, and as the concept of atonement and its new partner at-one-ment kept buzzing in my mind and heart, I felt the ever-so-gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit. The Lord kept bringing to my attention the importance of a relationship with Him—that conscious and intentional decision we make

to be with Him;

to abide in Him;

to rely on Him; and

to trust Him exclusively, in the process.

This intimate connection with Christ—what I call at-one-ment—is what our Father knows will completely change our lives. It has certainly changed mine. You ask, One relationship can make that much difference?

Oh yes, when God is involved, it can.

It boggles my mind that the Creator of the universe would even want a relationship with me—with all of us—but He does. Go figure. No, I mean really. Let’s figure this out together.

He got me started on this journey by having my brain read a word wrong; one word that could have easily gotten lost in the shuffle that is my mind. And now this.

So, let’s explore at-one-ment together and discover why God wants us to live and move and have our being in Him (Acts 17:28 NIV).

And who knows? We may grow to know God better in the process. As 1 Corinthians 6:17 NIV says, "he who unites himself with the Lord is one [emphasis added] with him in spirit."

January

Avowing

Our Father, who is in heaven

..that they all may be one, as you, Father, are in Me and I in you, that they also may be one in us…

John 17:21 NKJV

January 1

Perfect Prayer

And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?

Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.

The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:

Matthew 6:5–9a MSG

The prayer that Jesus Christ gave His followers is a perfect verification of our position in God’s kingdom. It will serve as the backbone of our devotions.

Our Father testifies that we are, indeed, children of the living Creator. It reminds each believer who we are in Him and seals the guarantee of His abiding Spirit forever.

Who is in heaven recognizes God’s reign in heaven and earth, and reassures us that our true home with Him awaits us.

Hallowed be Your name reinforces our commitment to praise and honor the one who gives His all to us.

Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven reemphasizes our desire that everything we experience is God-ordained and God-approved.

Give us this day our daily bread relates to how we are totally dependent on our Father, and are, in faith, grateful for His provision.

And forgive us our sins as we also forgive those who sin against us requests even more of His abundant mercy and grace, solidifying our relationship with Him and sustaining His strength so we can forgive others as He forgives us.

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil restates our inherent weakness to sin, our awareness of the operative forces of evil, and our trust in the Lord’s power to defeat evil influence.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever reiterates our confidence and gratitude in all that He gives us.

Amen. So be it.

This is what we pray; this is what we believe:

Our Father, who is in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

[For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen]."

Matthew 6:9–13 NASB

January 2

Active Atonement

When I turn to God and by belief accept what Christ reveals, the miraculous atonement by the Cross of Christ instantly places me into a right relationship with God … We can be born again solely because of the atonement of our Lord. We do not have to accomplish these things ourselves—they have been accomplished through the atonement of the cross of Christ. The supernatural becomes natural to us through the miracle of God and there is a realization of what Jesus Christ has already done.

Oswald Chambers

Atonement was the reason Jesus came, and atonement is the all-inclusive solution to separation from Holy God because of our sin.

Atonement is the gift that Jesus gave to each one of us. At-one-ment is His next gift that just keeps on giving.

God provides the atonement. We prevail in at-one-ment. Our eternal life depends on it.

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we now received the atonement.

Romans 5:10–11 KJV

January 3

Powerful Perspective

Listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for He speaks peace to His people, His faithful ones.

Psalm 85:8 NLT

Everything was hitting me all at once. The caretaking of my parents was ongoing, and so draining, both physically and emotionally. My health was suffering, usually manifesting as more migraines. Family issues weighed heavily on my heart. Even God and I weren’t seeing eye to eye. I often wondered whether He was even listening to my whiny self? It seemed more like I to I.

My faith walk had become formulaic and routine. Devotional time was duly apportioned to a few minutes in my too-busy day—just one more thing to add to an ever-growing list.

In came at-one-ment, that God spirited into my mind and heart. As it became my lifeline on my sinking ship, I gratefully grabbed it and held on for dear life. In the midst of struggle and sadness, God spoke.

When I truly grasped what God and His Son were willing to do to pursue at-one-ment with me—with all of us—something changed in me. No longer was I fitting God into my schedule; rather, I wanted to fit into His. The miracle of miracles is that I realized that He always has time for me.

Oh, the circumstances didn’t change—not right away—but I did. And as I relied more on His loving power instead of my own, I gained new strength and Godly perspective. My problems were not so overwhelming anymore, and even began to diminish.

Because of a new understanding of His truth resonating in me, I finally could see the golden thread of God’s grace weaving through the fabric of my life. And as I consciously, intentionally, and expectantly invited God to work on all areas of the loom of my life, His golden threads transformed my tapestry.

Commit your ways to the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:5 NIV

January 4

Achieving At-one-ment

The reason Jesus Christ came to earth was atonement. The reason He stayed to live in our hearts is at-one-ment.

It is soul-ly the decision that Jesus made to ensure our relationship with Holy God, which allows us to enjoy at-one-ment with Him. As it is with every blessing from our Father, it is all a result of what Jesus was willing to do; we have done nothing to deserve His grace.

Jesus is the original at-one-ment promoter. He spoke to the disciples and the people often about oneness. His prayerful plea to His Father on His way to the garden of Gethsemane before His arrest included this request from John 17:20-23 MSG

The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind.

Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,

so they might be one heart and mind with us.

Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.

The same glory you gave me, I gave them,

So they’ll be as unified and together as we are—

I in them and you in me.

Then they’ll be mature in this oneness.

And for added emphasis, the NASB says, The glory which You have given Me, I have given to them that they may be one, just as we are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfect in unity (John 17:22-23).

Seems clear how crucial at-one-ment is to God’s overall plan. Now the question is: Will we pursue oneness with Him in our own lives?

The choice is ours.

Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me that they may be ONE even as we are … and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.

John 17:11, 26 NASB

January 5

The Power of One

Yet there is one prayer that God must answer and that is the prayer of Jesus—that they may be one just as we are one (John 17:22). Are we as close to Jesus as that?

Oswald Chambers

Jesus wants us to be as close to Him as He is to the Father. The reason that He came to earth to live and die and live again was to restore the relationship between His Father and all His children—past, present, and future.

We were totally estranged from Him, separated by our propensity for sin. The Lord’s perfect plan ripped the temple curtain, allowing His people access to the throne of Holy God. Then it is up to us to determine how close we get to Him.

Doing so is easier said than done.

Yet Reverend Cornelius Tyree suggests this in his book, The Glorious Sufficiency of Christ, in 1879 to study, not Christianity, but Christ; ponder, not the redemption, but the Redeemer; Not salvation; but the living, moving Saviour, that was, and is, and ever will be, and the mind will be convinced and the heart savingly won to Him.

So, study Christ and think about the living, active Redeemer. Simply knowing who He is will draw our mind and our heart toward Him.

If we have oneness with Christ—at-one-ment—as the foundation of our faith, all the building blocks—prayer, study, fellowship, service, praise, and gratitude—will simply fall into place.

Yes, God is interested in our growth as Christians. He is even more invested in keeping His children not merely close to Him, but One with Him. As that is accomplished, everything else will follow.

Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the one who invited us to God.

1 Peter 1:3 MSG

That they all may be one, as you, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us.

John 17:21 NKJV

January 6

One Goal

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19 NLT

Horizontal relationships were never designed to satisfy us; they just have us clamoring for more.

The more we seek prompts us to pursue people, power, or possessions. Our wants far surpass our needs. C. S. Lewis aptly calls our demanding desires, the sweet poison of the false infinite.

Think vertical.

Our growing relationship with our best Friend is the only one that can and will always satisfy.

What will it take to make us realize that the not-so-merry-go-round of I want what I want when I want it and I gotta have it is all an illusion? No thing and no one will ever be enough—except the Lord Himself.

He is the only one in the entire universe who has a clue of what each human being actually needs.

God is not oblivious to our wants and desires. He just doesn’t give them priority.

His primary objective is to create the most conducive opportunity for each one of us to establish and maintain an ongoing, growing connection with Him. That is the essence of at-one-ment. That is the one want of ours that God will forever satisfy—our desire to be closer to Him.

So humble yourselves before God … Come close to God, and God will come close to you … Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor.

Philippians 4:7–8, 10 NLT

January 7

Awesome Abiding

Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, so they might be one heart and mind with us.

John 17:21 MSG

Christ’s atonement makes it possible for our at-one-ment with Him.

At-one-ment, however, is not an all-in-one-fell-swoop, magical transformation; rather it is an ongoing commitment on our part to abide in Christ.

By His sacrifice, He permits each one of us to enjoy a relationship with Him. We can refuse His invitation—and sadly, many do.

When we accept, however, the possibilities are endless! When we decide to abide, Jesus generously opens the door to His storehouse of blessings, and all we need to do is accept them and share His treasure with others.

Our life will not suddenly be free of challenges. As a matter of fact, living in this world guarantees stress and struggle. What the Lord does promise is that as we remain situated in the center of His will—and thus His heart—He is abundantly capable and more than sufficient to handle our concerns. It’s when we mistakenly believe we can manage on our own that we run into trouble.

It simply is a decision we make to be joined with Jesus in our thinking, through our conversation, and by our actions.

It is then that we choose to be intentionally at one with Him.

Let the blessings begin!

Abide in Me, and I in you … just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

John 15:4, 9, 11 NASB

January 8

Spirit Solution

For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity – the man Christ Jesus.

I Timothy 2:5, 6 NLT

Pursuing at-one-ment is an ongoing decision ordained by Holy God. His fondest desire in the eternity past, and for the future eternity, has been to have an intimate connection with His creation. Who are we to thwart His loving intention?

Can you imagine the billions (or even trillions) of dollars that have been spent over the years on self-help books, videos, seminars, and counseling sessions, searching for the answers to the questions of who am I?, and what is my purpose? Can you count the number of lives ruined when the answers don’t meet the expectations, and the search continues in a bottle, on an Internet porn site, in the refrigerator, in a crack pipe, or whatever the poison may be?

Can the solution to those questions be just a prayer away?

As a matter of truth—He is.

It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we’re living for.

Ephesians 1:11 MSG

January 9

Birthday Presence

The Father’s greatest gift to you is His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus’ greatest gift to you is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s greatest gift to you is fellowship with the Father and the Son.

Roy Lessin

It is the morning of my birthday. This is the first devotion I read, and I feel like my Father has just kissed me on the cheek and said, I love you, sweet daughter.

When I consider all the birthdays before (and there have been a few), celebrated with balloons and cake and presents and cake and cards and cake and ice cream and cake (know what my favorite thing is?), I realize this one truth: The greatest gift we could ever receive is a relationship with our Father, His Son, and His indwelling Spirit.

Jesus prayed for it the night before His crucifixion—our at-one-ment with Him and the Father. He also shared with His disciples that it would be better if He did go away, because then the promised Helper would come to abide in them (John 14:16). God’s supernatural plan to allow our unhindered, unrestricted, eternal relationship with Him could then be a reality. It sounds like the Gift that (who) keeps on giving!

We are telling you about what we ourselves have actually seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

1 John 1:3 NLT

January 10

Winning Will

The atonement of Jesus must be exhibited in practical unassuming ways in my life. Every time I obey, the absolute deity of God is on my side so that the grace of God and my natural obedience are in perfect agreement.

Oswald Chambers

I love it when all of God’s puzzle pieces fit together. (The fact is, they always do, but are we willing to remain obedient until the puzzle is completed?)

Jesus came to earth in the form of a baby, willingly remaining within the constraints of a human body, putting up with pain, poverty, and persecution to ultimately

49408.png be separated from His Father;

49408.png be beaten and hung on a cross;

49408.png die as a criminal; and

49408.png be buried in a borrowed tomb.

Such degradation He willingly endured for one reason—to atone for all believers’ sins and ensure a relationship with them for eternity. He obeyed His Father.

And here’s the next puzzle piece: He wants us to obey the Father, just like Him. He knows that when we obey—just like He did—it always results in a win-win-win:

49408.png God’s will always brings us blessings.

49408.png Jesus, as our role model, gets the credit.

49408.png God our Father is glorified.

I love it when everyone wins!

This is love; not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

1 John 4:10 NIV

January 11

Sole Soul Goal

Our only task is to maintain a vital connection with Jesus Christ, seeing that nothing interferes with it.

Oswald Chambers

Oh, is that all? Sure, I can do that. I talk to Him all the time.

At-one-ment is not just about talking to Jesus when it’s convenient. It is all about saturating our mind and heart with His person, His personality, and His personhood through our thoughts and actions.

You can tell me all the reasons why this is totally impractical, even impossible:

I am already on overload—and now I must incorporate Jesus into my crazy day?!

Well, that’s sort of the point. And I’ll take it one step further:

It is the

Surrendering,

Obeying,

Loving,

Eternal,

point.

If we want to experience the transforming life of Jesus Christ in our own life, we must

49408.png surrender our less-than-ideal game plan (it’s not working that well anyway);

49408.png obey His way; and

49408.png love Jesus, our Father, and His Spirit (who are the best parts of each of us), and love other people, no matter who they are (with no excuses …).

All of these choices are precursors to the reality of eternity with the Lord. Why not get started now? It’s good practice for our everlasting future.

His love has taken over our lives; God’s faithful ways are eternal.

Psalm 117:2 MSG

No one’s ever seen or heard … never so much as imagined … what God has arranged for those who love him.

1 Corinthians 2:9 MSG

January 12

Sacrificial Love

A farmer walked around his farm to take stock of his losses after a fire had destroyed it. When he came to the chicken coop, he noticed the charred carcass of a mother hen. He used his foot to turn the carcass over and to his surprise, live chicks ran out from under it! The mother hen had died protecting her chicks from the fire

Like the mother hen who spread her wings and died protecting her chicks, Jesus spread His wings of love and died on the cross for us. And after He had died to save us, He rose again and lives today to make sure that we are well taken care of.

Joseph Prince

Jesus does what He does best.

He saves us from eternal destruction.

He rescues us from hopelessness, haplessness, hedonism, helplessness—here and now.

He protects us, promotes us, prays for us, promises us, perfects us.

Just like the mother hen’s primary focus was the welfare of her chicks (expecting nothing in return), the Shepherd watches out for each one of His sheep. All He desires from us is that we believe in His sacrificial love for us as we pursue a relationship with Him.

Oswald Chambers reminds us that (Christ’s) cross is the door by which every member of the human race can enter into the life of God; by His resurrection He has the right to give eternal life to anyone, and by His ascension our Lord entered heaven, keeping the door open for humanity.

All for us.

He did it all for us.

No other reason motivated Jesus to leave His perfect home, to enter into the utter restriction of human form, to live hand-to-mouth with a bunch of clueless people; to endure rejection, derision, and insult; to be tortured unmercifully; and to die a horribly painful and heinously degrading death on a Roman cross, except love.

Love compelled Him.

Love held Him fixed on that fastened wood more than any spike ever could.

We must never forget.

He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge.

Psalm 91:4 NIV

He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Philippians 2:8 NLT

January 13

Bountiful Blessings

The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. Colossians 1:27 MSG

God’s Word so beautifully shows us how Jesus transforms from Immanuel—God with us—to the Christ Spirit—God within us. Only supernatural God could bring about such a miracle. What a miracle it is—with endless possibilities promised to each one of us if we accept His gift.

His best present is His Presence in our life,