Merry Christmas

Happy Birthday, Jesus. Thank you for humbling yourself so that we could have a chance at eternity. 

I pray that comfort will be given to those who have an empty seat at their table, broken hearts will be mended, love will overflow, and aletheia (TRUTH) will find its way.

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)

Wonderful Counselor - Jesus came to earth and experienced life as a human being. He was tempted as we are, he faced trials and persecution as we do. And yet, he was without sin. He has incredible wisdom and competency. Jesus understands us even more than we understand ourselves. When we pray, we may ask for help. If we open our ears to listen, we will receive heavenly counsel and be led away from sin so that we may live our lives in a way that is pleasing to God. This means going to God for counsel, not running to everyone we know and spreading empty words like wildfire. 

Mighty God - If you think of water, it has different forms, yet it is the same substance. It can be ice, liquid, or gas. This is similar to God. He is three-in-one. Jesus is the son of God, but he is still a part of God. He is still mighty. He has GREAT power and GREAT authority. While we're down here trying to take care of everything ourselves, he's up there wondering why we don't ask for help! Jesus performed MIRACLES. Miracles still happen today! Did you know that? With God, ALL things are possible. Because He is mighty!

Everlasting Father - "No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) Jesus is the way in which we find new life. Where we can turn from our old, sinful ways and start a brand new life of purity, love, joy. This means truly turning 180 degrees and walking in the other direction. It means meeting our loved ones again who have passed away into the home of the Lord. It means finding a whole new meaning to the way we live our lives.

Prince of Peace - Prince of Peace. Doesn't that sound nice? A peace that surpasses all understanding. I love this version of Philippians 4:7 taken from The Message:

"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."

This world can be a pretty crazy place. There can be a lot of confusion, a lot of hurt, and a lot of evil. We make it so much harder on ourselves than is even necessary. Like I wrote before, we don't know everything! We don't. So let's stop acting like we do. Our trust and our worries need to be given to God, and HE will take care of the rest.

Because someone as big as God, as perfect as God, as Holy as God...HUMBLED himself...think about that for a second. God is God. He can do anything, he can see everything. Why would he feel the need to become a measly little human? Just for kicks? No. He brought himself THIS low, so that we could understand who HE is...and so we don't have to do this alone. And it gets better...He did it so we could have eternal life in a place far better than here. A former director of mine used to say, "You know...once we get to where we're going, we're going to wonder why we fought so hard to stay here!"

So let's recap:

If we give our worries and cares to God through Christ Jesus (counselor), He will use his authority and power (mighty God) to give us new everlasting life (everlasting Father) in which we will receive peace in our hearts that will transcend our understanding (prince of peace) so that we may live according to God's purpose and at peace with those around us.

Thank you, God, for humbling yourself and sending your son to die for our sins. I pray that you may give us wisdom and discernment to discover your truth, that we may not act on sin, so that your son did not die in vain. We understand that we are human, and we need you to receive peace in our hearts and turn away from foolish, sinful ways. Help us to understand the sacrifice you made for us. Help us to see the world through your eyes. Help us to love the way that you love. Amen.