This sponsored post was provided by Burke Care, and written by Jen Arend , which invites you to schedule care today with a certified biblical counselor.
Is there one Christmas theme that strikes you each year without fail? For me, it is “Immanuel, God is with us” (Matthew 1:23).[1] What is it about this name of Jesus that is so gripping? God became a man, stooping down to this sin-cursed earth, taking on the weakness of human flesh, and humbling himself to the nth degree to “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). A stable for a King. Washing dirty feet. A criminal’s death. God is with us… 
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; although He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich.” — 2 Corinthians 8:9
Our God is a God who came near. Jesus, Immanuel, God is with us. Collectively and historically in the birth of Christ, God showed that He is a God who draws near. Immanuel is also incredibly personal and intensely practical, as we live our lives each day. God is with you. 
Think of your fears. Fear needs a person.[2] When a child wakes up in the middle of the night, crying inconsolably, what does she do? There is no peace until she is in the arms of her loving mom or dad. She runs to find them, and even an attuned parent will run to meet her in her distress. The tears may continue, and her heart may still race. But by the comforting embrace of her parents, she is eventually consoled. Peace floods her heart, and she can rest again. Fear needs a person. Immanuel, God is with us.
Where do you turn when anxiety strikes? Most of us struggle alone, as though we are orphans. You are not an orphan. Immanuel, God is with us. You can run to him! He is near, and His nearness eventually quells your fears, giving you that “peace which transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). Often, we read Philippians 4:6 out of context, like a band aid that is supposed to help us with our anxiety. “Do not be anxious about anything…” Have you ever noticed what comes right before Philippians 4:6? The Lord is near. The Lord is near. The Lord is near. Immanuel, God is with us.
How might Immanuel change you this season as you face your anxiety? 
1.      Remember, you are not alone. You are not an orphan, crying out in the dark with no one to help. God hears your cry. As the most attuned Father, He runs to help. He is with you.
2.      Remember, you can run to Him. Will he rebuke you in your fears? No! Would a good parent do that to a frightened child? Of course, not! Jesus is a tender Shepherd, beckoning you to come to Him (Matt. 11:28). He will not turn you away in your fears. You have a Father, compassionate and loving, welcoming you with open arms.
3.      In running to Him, you may not find immediate peace. It may take time, even a long season of remembering who your Father is for you. Just as a child will require time to calm down in the presence of love, so too, you may need time in the presence of the Lord. That is okay. Give yourself time, even as you draw near to the Lord. 
In your struggle to believe, remember He is Immanuel, God is with us.
[1] All Scripture references: Holman Christian Standard Bible.
[2] Lauren Whitman, “Every Day Problems in Counseling,” Lecture 10, (Glenside, PA: Westminster Theological Seminary).
Immanuel, who will we go to? You have the words of eternal life. (Jn. 6:68)
Immanuel, when I am filled with cares, your comfort brings me joy. (Ps. 94:19)
Immanuel: Do not fear for I am with you. Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand. (Is. 41:10)
Application:
1.      Where do you turn when you are feeling anxious? Do you depend on your own strength to fight your anxiety? Like a child, run to Jesus. Fear needs a person.
2.      Is there a Scripture that brings you comfort in times of distress? Meditate on that truth or even write it on a card to refer to when you are fearful.
3.      When you feel overcome with anxiety, can you begin with a simple, “Help, Lord!”? Turning to the Lord in any way may just bring a measure of unexpected peace, as you turn and reflect on the character of your heavenly Father.
4.      As you pursue deeper fellowship in the local church, is there someone that you can ask to pray for you? Turning to the Lord is best done in community with other believers. Remember, you are not alone.
As you celebrate this Christmas season, remember Immanuel, God is with us. And if we at Burke Care can help you or a loved one draw near to the Lord in this season, we would count that a great privilege.

The Christian faith is counterintuitive in any number of ways, but perhaps none so much as in its perspective on suffering and, particularly, its perspective on suffering persecution. We may see this most clearly in the actions of the apostles who, after being imprisoned and beaten, “left the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” (Acts 5:41).

Of course they must not have been surprised to suffer persecution because, as I’ve pointed out in a couple of recent articles, Jesus had told them to expect it and evaluate it. But he did more than that, and he does more than that to us. Jesus tells us to embrace persecution.
I thought of softening “embrace” to “endure.” It’s certainly true that we need to face persecution with patience and perseverance. But Jesus seems to calls us to even more than this. He says we should go so far as to embrace persecution. That’s not to say we should never pray for it to be lifted, or that we should never flee from it, or that we should never turn to the courts where we can appeal for justice, for these may all be good and honorable actions to take. But it does mean that as long as we face true persecution, we should rejoice in it. Jesus says “blessed (or happy) are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” He says even to “rejoice and be glad” in persecution. (Matthew 5:10-12).
Is this really possible? Is this really reasonable? It is! It is because we know that our God is sovereign and that nothing happens apart from his plan, which means that in some way our suffering is God’s will. It’s not a mistake. It’s not meaningless. It’s not nothing. It’s an opportunity to respond to God’s sovereignty with hope, with trust, and with godly character. It’s an opportunity to shine God’s light in the midst of darkness.
6 Reasons to Rejoice in Persecution
We need to consider: How is it possible to rejoice even during something as painful as persecution? Let me offer six reasons you can rejoice and be glad even when persecuted.
The first is this: persecution proves your citizenship. You are a follower of a Savior who was persecuted. Even though he lived a life that was perfect and unblemished, still the religious authorities, the civil authorities, and the common people all turned against him and put him to death. If that was his story, why wouldn’t it be yours? He told you it would be yours. He said, “Take up your cross and follow me.” We should expect to suffer like our Savior suffered. In that way persecution is proof of your citizenship in his kingdom, proof of your alignment with Jesus.
And then there’s this: persecution displays your faith. Passing through the test of persecution proves the validity and the strength of your faith. You’ll never know how strong your arms are until you have to lift something heavy, and you’ll never know what your faith is made of until it is put to the test. James says “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life” (James 1:12). Many fall away when their faith is tested; but those who truly love the Lord will persevere and emerge with their faith tested, proven, strengthened. They can rejoice!
Also, persecution shapes your character. In Romans 5 Paul says, “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3-4). It takes tremendous heat and pressure to form a diamond deep in the ground and it takes suffering and even persecution to form Christian character deep in your heart. Persecution is a means God uses to conform you to the image of Christ.
There is another reason: persecution equips you for service. Through persecution God is equipping you for deeper service to him. As he writes 2 Corinthians Paul has suffered deeply and this is what he says: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction…” Why does God offer this comfort? He goes on, “so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” He knows that in his suffering he has been comforted so that he can now extend that comfort to others. He has been made more useful to God’s purposes because of this persecution. And that’s true of you as well.
And then there’s a fifth reason: persecution produces communion. In your suffering you experience a deep fellowship with Christ because you are actually joining in his suffering. In the very next verse Paul says this: “For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too” (2 Corinthians 1:5). You are being persecuted because you are united to Christ. You are suffering in him and for him and with him. And God meets you in your sorrows, he draws close, and he ministers his comfort to you.
And then there’s still another reason you can rejoice in persecution: persecution provokes longing. It causes you to look forward, to elevate your gaze beyond this world. There is nothing that more clearly shows that this world is not your home than persecution. There is nothing that makes it more obvious that you don’t belong here. And so there is nothing more likely to shift your gaze from the kingdom of this world to the kingdom of heaven. When everything in your life is great, when everyone around you loves and affirms you, it’s easy to say “this world isn’t so bad.” But when you are hated and mocked, you understand: These are not my people. This is not my place.
And if this isn’t, then what is? The kingdom of heaven. Persecution makes you exercise your faith to believe that the kingdom is real and the kingdom is coming and the kingdom is your true and final home. You rejoice that your heart is being uprooted from this kingdom and planted in the kingdom still to come. You rejoice and are glad in all that God has promised and will very soon fulfill.
For these six reasons and many more you can rejoice even when you are being persecuted. God gives you your suffering in trust that you will embrace it and honor him through it—that you will steward it well, that you will pass through it in such a way that you hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
We have just come through a time of suffering that extended across almost the entire globe. Through the pandemic some lost their jobs or had to battle troubling matters of conscience; many got ill or lost loved ones; many had friends or family members turn on them for their decision to accept or reject a vaccine; many were forced into isolation for extended periods of time; some went to prison. We all suffered. I have spoken to some Christians from around the world who are convinced there was an element of persecution in this suffering and to others who are convinced there was not. But whatever your conviction, I think this is worth asking: Did you pass through that time of suffering with joy in your heart? Can you say “in my suffering” or even “in my persecution (if that’s your conviction) I rejoiced and was glad, just like Jesus said?” In this suffering or any other you’ve gone through, can you say you imitated Jesus who: “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly?” Or did your joy go into a tailspin? Did you suffer with bitterness, with grumbling, with complaining?
It sure seems likely that there will be more suffering and even persecution in the years ahead. How will you meet it? I know how God tells you to meet it—you are to meet any suffering with confident submission and even the fiercest persecution with rejoicing and gladness. God means for you to emerge from it with your faith not only intact, but strengthened, your joy not only present but amplified. He means for you to marvel like the apostles that “I have been counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Jesus.” And to rejoice.
Even in your worst suffering, even in your darkest valley, even in the most agonizing persecution, you can rejoice and be glad because God is with you, because God is accomplishing his purposes, because this light and momentary affliction—even if it leads all the way to death—is preparing you for an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond all comparison. And so expect to be persecuted; when it appears to have come, honestly evaluate your persecution; and if you are convinced this is, indeed, suffering for righteousness’ sake, then embrace your persecution as a means through which God is at work for the furthering of his kingdom, the good of his people, and the glory of his name. And rejoice that you have been counted worthy to suffer dishonor, or even death, for his sake.

I am grateful to Moody Publishers for sponsoring the blog this week so they could tell you about a timely new book titled Known for Love. In it, Casey Hough provides a biblical and theological framework for thinking through the hard situations we encounter with family and friends. Drawing from a well of faithful biblical scholars, Hough provides insights for everyday Christians living in a sexually broken world.
Westminster Kids Week wraps up with a neat new title from Paul Tautges.
Today’s Kindle deals include some newer and older titles.
(Yesterday on the blog: Making Good Return)

Trevin Wax: “The heart’s silent cry, giving rise to tears of anguish no one else sees—the aloneness compounds the heartache. In those moments when you’re wronged, or your name is slandered, or your intentions are questioned . . . In the times when you feel alone or abandoned . . . In the aftermath of saying what’s true and paying a price, when you’ve experienced the deep wounds of injustice or betrayal . . . the Lord sees.”

Church is good. Small group is good. But it’s important that we maintain the distinction between them. “I will explain three reasons why your small group is not a church, but keep in mind that all three reasons (not just the first) are simply clarifying and unpacking this fundamental point: churches wield heaven’s authority, small groups do not.”

Joel Smit considers a few biblical fathers and their examples of faithfulness or lack of faithfulness. “These Old Testament stories are given by God for more than just parental instruction, but at the same time, they are not less than that. Therefore, they offer us both warnings and opportunities to learn how to best lead our children (and ourselves) toward godliness.”

Doug includes some interesting points in his look at the deconstruction of gender. “Gender exists, and it is a real thing. That is why the sexual revolutionaries have the footing to speak rationally about it; we all have an objective point of reference. They must borrow from the traditional worldview to make any sense of their own. However, they refute themselves when they lean on the historical understanding of gender in their attempts to undermine it.”

TGC has a pair of articles that each answer this question: Are images of Christ OK? The negative response is linked above while the positive response can be found here. (For what it’s worth, I’d lean well toward the “no” side.)

“We are a culture obsessed with assessment. In addition to physical assessments, these days, there are all kinds of tests to measure our personality, emotional state, intellect, productivity, and relational capacities. Do you know what we’ve never been able to find a tool to measure? Our wisdom.”

Look inside, to be certain, but also look outside to ensure the fruit of your relationship with the Lord is a gift not only to you, but to all you know, all you love.

Human fatherhood exists to display the beauty of God’s Fatherhood. Our highest calling as fathers is to be the image of God’s fatherhood to our children.
—John Piper