12 Days of Christmas Devotional: Discovering the Real JesusSample

Day Two: Jesus is Immanuel.

"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel" — Isaiah 7:14

Matthew refers back to this verse as evidence of a prophecy fulfilled through the birth of Jesus. We sing His name “Immanuel”. But what does that word really mean? 

The definition of “Immanuel” is “God with us.” Isaiah spoke about how God would one day remove all that separated us from His love and His power, and friends, there are days when I wonder how that could be possible for me and for a world full of sin. But Immanuel is the answer!

In one name, we are able to understand that Jesus is the way to be WITH God. He did everything needed to remove the guilt and stain of sin from our lives. Sin caused man to be separated from God. Jesus comes to ‘take away the sin of the world’, and by doing so, takes away the very thing separating us from Him. Now, He is WITH us forever. Nothing can ever separate us from His love, because nothing can ever separate us from Him. The separation has been removed. No matter how many times you’ve failed, He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5-6). Rest in this powerful truth today. He is WITH you. He is IMMANUEL. 

I get so excited about this, because we who were once separated from the light and love of God will never be separated again!  Jesus is the one who showed us that God not only wants to be with us, but He will do anything and everything to make it happen!

Say So: Jesus is MY Immanuel. He is with us. He is with me. He has removed everything that separated me from God, and now there is no separation anymore. He is with me, near me and in me. I cannot fail because He is with me. In Him, I am now a powerful warrior in life. I am filled with His presence and His presence makes all the difference in my life today, in Jesus’ name.