Our Immanuel: Short and Sweet Christmas Devotionals

[Editor’s Note: This is a Christmas guest post by Agnes Amos. I hope these Short and Sweet Diva Christmas devotionals are blessing you this season! If you missed any, here is day 1. day 2. day 3. day 4. day 5. day 6. and more information about this year’s Diva Christmas series.

The Baby in the Manger – Our Immanuel

My friends, Christmas for me once meant the warm feeling of smelling and drinking peppermint tea; cocoa; gifts under the tree; the lights and the gigantic tree in the malls and of course the hyped consumerism that goes with it.  Over the years, this meaning changed when I met people from all walks of life sharing how lonely this season has become for various reasons. The change for me was three-fold:

 

  1. The season reaffirms the presence of Immanuel (which means “God with us”) (Matthew 1:23). I don’t know about you but I find this reassuring in a world where we all sometimes feel lonely and alone. The Lord himself, is saying He will be with us. He will neither fail us nor abandon us and all we need to do is reach out to Him.

 

  1. It is the season for serving others – reflecting on what I can do for others rather than what they can do for me; checking in on the less privileged, lonely and alone folks in our community – showing them the love of Jesus by helping and serving them.

 

  1. It is the season to give generously – Christians ought to be the most generous people on earth because of what Christ has given us.

 

Christ follower, rethink the meaning of this joyful season – experience Immanuel; serve others and give generously.  If you are currently not a Christ follower, ask Jesus to come into your life this season and you will experience His presence.

 

All glory to God!

 

Agnes is a leader with proven business acumen in a variety of industries. She holds an executive MBA from the University of Hull, United Kingdom, and is also a Certified Meeting Planner (CMP).She is the author of The Provisions of God: Insights from a Cat Named Mascot, and  Weekly Insights for the Workplace: A Devotional for Christian Professionals