DEVOTION – DAY 579

Matthew 1:22-23 “Immanuel – God With Us”

Matthew 1:22-23 “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”).

The apostle, Matthew, recorded twelve times how the events in Jesus’ life fulfilled prophecies or events relating to the Messiah in the Old Testament. The first of these was the fulfillment of a prophecy made by the prophet Isaiah who wrote the prophecy around 701BC about the Messiah’s birth. This was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ, who was born to Mary, a virgin. God took on human flesh and chose to be born to Mary. Since it was a virgin birth, Jesus was born without sin. 

As we celebrate Christmas Day, we are reminded once again of God’s great love for us, His creation. God sent His one and only Son, to be born in human flesh as Jesus of Nazareth – born to Mary. Jesus who is equal to God, the Father, set aside His divinity to become fully human except He is without sin. This was because He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb. This event took place more than 2,000 years ago. Jesus came with a purpose. He came to live and to die on the cross for all who would believe in Him as their Lord and Savior. God knew that no one will ever be able to address the issue of sins in their lives just by trying to be good or to keep His laws. It is impossible because man is sinful by nature. 

We are prideful, impatient, selfish, self-centered by nature. So, God chose to provide a solution to the problem of sins in our lives. He chose His Son to atone for our sins on the cross on our behalf. God chose to send His Son, Immanuel. Therefore, we exchange gifts during Christmas because it reminds us that God gave us the greatest gift of all – Jesus Christ. We celebrate and rejoice because Christmas reminds us of the birth of our Savior and Lord. It reminds us of God’ great love, mercy and grace over us all.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we thank you for your grace, love and mercy. Thank you for sending the Lord Jesus to be our Immanuel. That we can receive salvation through belief in Him as our Lord and Savior. Please help us to actively share the gospel to all our unbelieving friends and family members. We humbly pray in the gracious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. What does Christmas mean to you? Share.
  2. Why do you celebrate Christmas? 
  3. Why is Jesus Christ central to Christmas?
  4. How can you actively share about Jesus Christ to others during this holiday season?