Emmanuel – God With Us

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.  Matthew 18:20

Jesus valued relationships. All of His teachings would one way or another be under the two greatest commandments, to love God and to love others as yourself. In His teachings before today’s verse, He talked about how believers are to be childlike toward God and to regard children as precious, being careful not to lead any of them astray (Matthew 18:1-6).  

He instructed how to handle conflicts with fellow brothers or sisters: to first try to resolve them between yourselves. If that does not work, take two or three witnesses with you. And then it goes on to the whole church (Matthew 18:15-17). How gossip would be quenched if these instructions were followed! When a conflict arises, the fleshly tendency is to first talk with those who are not involved.  

In Jesus’s prayer at the Last Supper, His heart’s desire was “that they may be one, even as we are one” (John 17:11). Before He left, Christ told His disciples, “I will not leave you as orphans” (John 14:18). The Father sent the Holy Spirit to live with His people after the Son’s ascension. In today’s verse, Jesus promises that when two or three are gathered in His name, He is there among them. The Holy Spirit is present as people call on the name of Jesus. How important it is for believers in Christ to meet in His name and let the Holy Spirit move in their hearts! 

As you pray for the nation and those in public office today, know that you are uniting your heart with multitudes of believers praying for this country. Allow the Holy Spirit to move in your prayers (Romans 8:26) as you intercede for the nation to be brought under the Lordship of Christ. 

Today’s Verse: Matthew 18:20

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” 

All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Recommended for further reading: James 4:1-12

4 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. 

11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? 

All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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