Deuteronomy 4:7 (NKJV) “What great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him?”

That’s you. You are part of Israel if you have joined yourself to Christ. And what is the greatest joy of being a Christian? The nearness of God.

The joy of salvation isn’t some future hope that things will be better in heaven. The joy of salvation is Jesus dwelling in us by His Spirit. It’s the constant presence and nearness of our true love.

The kingdom of heaven is here now in you! If you are missing the joy of walking with Jesus each day, then you are missing out on the most basic foundation of Christianity, Christ with us.

“Emmanuel” doesn’t just refer to Jesus as a baby. God dwelled with the Israelites in the tabernacle. He went with them. Jesus walked the earth with his family and disciples and lived among Israelites.

Now He dwells among Israelites by His Spirit.

God loves you with a steadfast love. He never wavers in it. It doesn’t ebb and wane.

God loves you with an everlasting love. He’s never going to decide He doesn’t love Israel any more.

God loves you with a perfect love, because He is perfect and He is love.

If you’ve ever felt any loving feelings toward a human, you should be able to feel them for God and many times multiplied over because no one has ever loved you the way He does, even if they’ve come as close as humanly possible.

I believe every believer should feel like they are God’s favorite. Every believer should be able to know they can freely enter the throne room for whatever reason and have their Father’s love and attention, care and compassion.

If you feel like you are missing out on this love feast with Jesus, missing out on the constant joy of knowing Him and being with Him, then ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit. Ask God to pour out His Spirit on you. Just ask.

Romans 5:5 (BSB)  “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”