He Shall Be CalledSample

He Shall Be Called | Day 2

Remember back to when you were a kid at Christmastime? It was full of marvel and wonder that, as we get older, seems to fade. We try and try to replicate it, but it just doesn’t quite feel the same. Our feelings of childlike wonder are replaced with fears, realism, and busyness. How can we recapture those feelings and hold onto them?

In Isaiah 9:6, it gives another list of titles Jesus would be called. But before we get to that, the first part of the verse speaks to the gift that God was getting ready to give humanity- A Child is born, and a Son is given. Why? For the purpose of seeking, rescuing, and saving us from the darkness of the world and our sins and to give us everlasting life in and through Him and His sacrifice.

The first title is, He Shall Be Called Wonderful. When we think about the birth of Christ, do we see the wonder of the moment? Do we sense the tension in the air? The angels are about ready to give the greatest concert of the age. The stage is set and the atmosphere is electric. And suddenly, Christ is here, and the heavens erupt! That's a wonder! But when we speak of the Christmas story, it can feel like a fond memory of a past Christmas, a remember-when story. It makes you think of when you got the toy you asked for when you were seven, or the best Christmas dinner ever, or the snow that was just perfect. Christ’s birth doesn't have to be relegated to remembering when I felt that Christ was wonderful. Emmanuel, God with us, is a WONDER! The Holy Spirit being in your life, guiding, directing, and empowering you to live for Christ, is a wonderful thing that is happening every day.

Jesus speaks of how we must become like a child to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Interestingly, Jesus chooses those who are innocent, but beyond that innocence, echo purity, trust, and wonder. A child sees Christmas as a time when the impossible can happen. They will make wishes, have expectations of what will happen, and truly believe that it will. Now that we are older, we realize that some things just don’t happen. But we might have gone too far and lost the wonder of Jesus in our lives; He is still the God of the impossible. He is still Wonderful and loves us when we seek Him. We are FULL of Wonder- the excitement and anticipation of being in His presence.

We can recapture the real sense of wonder this Christmas season by not focusing on recreating the Christmas of nineteen something-something when such and such occurred but rather by making the intentional choice to ask the Lord to give you an attitude of wonder for Christ this Christmas season.

Application:

When you think about Christ, what gives you a sense of wonder? Is it His birth, the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life, walking in the light and hope of Christ, or something miraculous He has done in your life? What is one practical way to develop a great refocus on Christ being Wonderful this Christmas season? What is causing you to focus on the drudgery of life and not Jesus? Take some time and pray about it with Jesus. He is right there with you, ready to listen.