Christmas in ... April?

Daily Reading: Isaiah 7

Scripture Focus: 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)

Devotional Thought: "If you're looking for a sign from God, this is it."  I've seen that before on billboards and church marquees.  Sometimes, it's to call attention to the Bible.  At other times, it serves as an invitation to church.  I've even seen it as an evangelistic appeal.

Wouldn't it be nice if Almighty God really did give us a sign that was that obvious?  Well, actually, he did.

Seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ, God gave Isaiah a prophetic vision of Christ: "The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (v. 14).  Immanuel (sometimes spelled Emmanuel) means “God with us.”  God is with us!  In Jesus Christ – the Son of God born of the Virgin Mary – God has come. 

Typically, we think about this prophecy at Christmas time.  But, shouldn't we remember all year long that God has come to be with us?  What can we do to welcome him more fully into our lives in this time of year?  How can we make more room in our lives for him?  What ways can we recognize God’s presence?

Look for ways to slow down and receive Jesus into your life.  Don't wait for Advent.  Instead, have the Christmas spirit all year long, the spirit that reminds you of God’s presence right here, right now.

Immanuel.  God with us.  May he be real in our lives!

Prayer: Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming into this world to bring God to us.  Help us to remember that you are always with us, even in April!  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 41.10-13

10 But you, O LORD, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them!

11 By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.

12 But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever.

13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.