For unto you
is born this day
in the city of David
a Savior,
who is Christ
the Lord.
Luke 2:11

When we receive a birth announcement in the mail or see one posted on social media, the happy news lets us know that a mom and dad have welcomed a child into their family. We all recognize them as the parents. A new son or daughter has been born to them.

It’s interesting then to note that when the angels came and announced the birth of Jesus to a group of unsuspecting Judean shepherds, the angel told them that a child had been born to them.

In fact, the angels are saying the same thing the prophet Isaiah told the people of Israel 700 years earlier, when he said, “Unto us a child is born.” In fact, we have to wonder when the angel told the shepherds, “Unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord,” if those shepherds heard in that announcement the echoes of Isaiah’s prophecy.

Jesus was born “unto us.” Unto all of us. And to make clear their relationship to this newborn baby, the angel explains He is your Savior. Christ, the Lord.

Most people in our world today don’t see Jesus as a child born to them. That’s because before Jesus can be born to you, you have to see your need for Him. You have to recognize that you are in danger and you need a Savior. You have to see that, left to your own devices, you make a mess of things. You need someone to rescue you from yourself. That’s something most people refuse to acknowledge.

There’s a big difference between saying “Jesus was born” and saying, “Jesus was born for me.” To join with the angels in calling Jesus our Savior, we have to first recognize that we need saving. We need to be rescued from a life that is heading in the wrong direction. We need to be reconciled to God. We need to have our sins forgiven. We need to be made clean and new. We need someone to give us a hope and a future.

Until then, we can’t truly say with the angels that Jesus is born to us.

If you are reading this devotional and you have honestly come to the conclusion that you need Jesus in your life, here is a simple prayer you can pray in order to begin your new life with Him.

Prayer: Father, I confess again today that I need someone to rescue me from myself. I’ve tried running my own life, and it doesn’t work. I acknowledge that I need a Savior. And I turn to Your Son, Jesus. I surrender to Him and acknowledge Him as my Savior and my Lord.