Unlocked Devotional: Christmas DevotionsSample

THE GOD WHO SAVES IS WITH US

Do you know the story behind your name? Anticipating the arrival of a baby is an exciting event for families, and choosing a name is part of the fun. Some parents name their children after other family members. Others choose a name that has a special meaning. This was the case in Bible times, including the time of Jesus’s birth. 

We discover many names for Jesus as we read the Bible, and two are mentioned in Matthew 1: Jesus and Immanuel. These names describe His purpose and His presence. 

An angel told Joseph (Jesus’s earthly father) to give Mary’s child the name “Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). 

We see the name Immanuel first in the Old Testament in Isaiah 7:14. Matthew 1 quotes this verse from Isaiah, revealing that Jesus fulfilled what was spoken hundreds of years before His birth (verses 22-23). However, Matthew adds the meaning of Immanuel: “God is with us.” 

The God who saves is with us! In love, even though we were caught in sin and death, Jesus, who is fully God and fully human, came and dwelled among us as a baby (John 1:1-14; Romans 5:8). He grew up, died for our sins on the cross, rose from the grave, and will one day return to dwell forever with those who put their trust in Him (John 3:16; Romans 10:9; Revelation 21:1-5). The whole Bible points to Jesus and His good news. God’s love for us is the story behind the names of Jesus. 

– Debbie Ewald

THINK ABOUT IT

What can we know about Jesus through His names? 

To learn more about what it means to put your trust in the God who saves, who is a trusted Christian in your life you could talk to? Maybe a pastor, parent, teacher, youth leader, or friend? 

KEY VERSE 

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12 (CSB)