“ For unto us a Child shall be born, to us a Son shall be given; And the government shall be upon His shoulder, And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”
Isaiah 9:6-7
I can remember my parents reading this scripture to us on Christmas morning before we did anything else. As a child, my focus was always on what was under the tree but with age comes wisdom and I now have a better understanding of this scripture. It is now more relevant to me especially this time of year.
Isaiah prophesied that a King would come in the Old Testament. At the time of this prophecy, the people of Judah were looking for someone to come and save them from the unfair treatment of the rulers of that particular day. They needed rescuing and reassurance. The realization of this prophecy would not come until the New Testament. I imagine that the people of the Old Testament would not be able to conceive that the King that they were looking for would come as a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a lowly manger.
As believers, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ but do we celebrate what his birth means for us today? Jesus came to save us. He came to deliver us. He came to bring us joy. He came to give us peace and the list goes on. He is the greatest gift and he is the gift that continues to give to us daily. So why do we find ourselves looking for what we have already been gifted? I know that I have been guilty of looking “under the tree” for the beautifully packaged gift to solve my issues when everything that I need can be found in Jesus.
So this month let us not only pause and reflect about the birth of our Lord and Savior, let’s purpose to reach out to Him, with praise and thanksgiving, for who He is and the gifts that he bestows upon us not because of who we are but because of who he came and died for us to be. Jesus is the GREATEST gift!
I am currently reading the following devotionals in You Version and I definitely recommend them and I am happy to read them again with you!