Tag Archives: Isaiah 9:6

The Christmas gift of peace

 

 

And he will be called “The Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6

 

I love Christmas Eve. I love it when work stops, the presents are wrapped, preparations are completed, and the hectic pace of the holiday part of Christmas slows down. And for a moment, there is peace.

 

Silent night, holy night, All is calm, all is bright.

 

Jesus is the Prince of Peace. We know that He came to the world to bring us peace, a peace that transcends all understanding. He offers a peace that is different from what the world offers, a peace that overcomes our troubles. It’s the calm that remains in us even when the storm rages around us. It’s the confidence that our circumstances don’t define who we are. It isn’t the false peace of this world but a real peace that permeates our life and overflows onto others around us.

 

Jesus brings us peace so that we can bring peace to others. He calls us to be peacemakers in a world of warring relationships.

 

Sometimes Christmas gatherings are anything but peaceful. Too often they are marked by the busyness of preparations, the chaos of excitement or sadly, the bitterness of conflict. How can we be peacemakers in these and other situations?

 

Exhibit humility and gentleness. (Ephesians 4:2)

 

Put others first (Philippians 2:3-4). This sometimes means overlooking when others are inconsiderate to us.

 

Be patient and wise. (Proverbs 19:11) Strive to maintain relationships more than differences of opinion.

 

Avoid unnecessary quarrels. (Proverbs 17:14) Learn to appreciate others who think differently from you. It’s not your job to change everyone to think just like you. Our job is to shine a helping light, not to blind them with our insisting ways. It’s God’s job to change people.

 

Let love be your guide. (1 Peter 4:8) Love covers a multitude of sins.

 

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13; Ephesians 4:32).

 

Don’t let annoyances and conflicts ruin your Christmas. Receive the Christmas gift of peace that the Prince of Peace offers you and BE the gift of peace to others.

 

 

The everlasting Christmas gift of hope

 

 

Everlasting Father

Everlasting. Eternal. Never changing. Forever the same.

 

Just as you and I like to take snapshots of our children when they are born, so the birth of baby Jesus is a snapshot in his life. But what is different about Jesus is that he has always existed. He was with God the Father when the worlds were created (and before). He lived on earth fully God and yet fully man. He lives forever, sitting at the right hand of His Heavenly Father, forever, for everlasting. This is the Jesus we worship at Christmas.

 

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8  God’s love endures forever.

 

The everlasting nature of Jesus conveys stability, confidence, trust. Life brings turmoil and trouble. It shakes us. We are tempted to worry and despair. But our foundation and our refuge and strength is everlasting. God doesn’t change. When something is everlasting we can depend on it, trust it. We don’t have any frame of reference for this on earth. I think of mountains as being everlasting, but even they are sometimes shaken and moved. Only the Everlasting Father is unchanging. In him we can safely and securely place our hope.

 

We may hope for safe travels to a reunion. We may hope for a nice time with family and friends. We may hope for a nice present. We may hope for peace on earth.  But the children of the one true everlasting God, those who trust in his son, have “the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time.” (Titus 1:2) It is the Christmas gift of everlasting hope that is found at the feet of Jesus.

 

May Christmas fill you with such everlasting hope.

 

 

The Christmas gift of strength

 

 

Mighty God

For unto us a child is born. To us a son is given. And the government will be upon His shoulders. And His name will be called Wonderful counselor,  mighty God, everlasting Father,  Prince of Peace.”  – Isaiah 9:6

 

The birth of Jesus is not only about the arrival of a baby. It is the fulfillment of his reign as “mighty God”. Jesus “is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3). He is our “mighty God”. What a mighty God we serve! Jeremiah 10:6 says, “No one is like you, LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power.”

 

The strength of the Lord is OUR strength too.

 

We think we can be strong, but there come trials that test our resolve and find us wanting. We are not the captains of our own destiny. We don’t control the forces that surround us. We aren’t strong enough to bear the pressures that weigh on us. BUT… we do have strength available to us and it comes from God.

 

Psalm 46 proclaims “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”   The psalmist sings, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” (Psalm 28:7)

 

The truth of Christmas is that this fragile baby lying in a manger is the source of our strength. What a mighty God we serve! Unwrap the Christmas gift of his strength and discover the full power of Christmas alive in you.

 

 

The Christmas gift of guidance

 

 

Wonderful Counselor

“For unto us a child is born. To us a son is given. And the government will be upon His shoulders. And His name will be called Wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  – Isaiah 9:6

 

It’s what we all need throughout life: guidance. We may think we have everything planned out and under control. But life has a way of revealing unexpected turns in our path and circumstances that confound us. Where do you turn when you find yourself in a circumstance you’ve never been before? How do you find your way out of problems that confound you?

 

Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” John 14:6. And He promises, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.” John 14:16 other versions say helper, advocate, comforter. This is not only someone you can trust but someone you need to guide your life in the path it was intended.

 

The wise men followed a star to find Jesus. We follow the one who created the stars and everything else. God’s gift to us is this child Jesus who grew up and became a man, and who gave us His very Spirit to be our wonderful counselor. Whatever you face this Christmas, you are not alone. You have a wonderful counselor who cares for you and who will speak to you all about God’s most wonderful gift. Receive the gift of the Christmas Counselor, the Spirit of Jesus.