December 20th

December 20th

Isaiah 9:6 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.

One more thing to point out about this verse. If you study it closely you will notice it points to the Trinity. Yes, Isaiah is prophesying the coming Messiah which is Jesus, the Son of God. However, take a look again. We already mentioned the fact that calling Him Everlasting Father showed that He is fully God and He and the Father are one.

Jesus even said that several times during His ministry on earth.

John 10:30 I and the Father are one.

John 14:9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.”

Now look at “Wonderful Counselor.” This phrase ties to the Holy Spirit. Jesus makes this connection for us.

John 15:16-17 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

The word advocate here in Greek actually means: counselor, advocate, helper, guide. If you look further down you will see Jesus clarify in verse 26.

John 15:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

So Jesus lets us know that although He is counselor, the Holy Spirit would come as a counselor to teach us everything we need to know.

These attributes of Jesus are shared attributes. We now see that even in the prophecy of the coming Messiah we can’t escape the ties between the Trinity. All three were present at creation as detailed in Genesis, and all three are present in the Throne room as relayed in Revelation. So also we see here in the arrival of the Messiah, that His rescue mission is not detached from the rest of the Trinity. Instead, Jesus reflects the Trinity, displaying attributes of the Father and the Spirit while here ministering to us.

Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow! What a perfectly intertwined plan, and we have only begun scratching the surface!

My prayer for each of you this Christmas season is that you will come through it knowing Jesus more and with a better understanding of God’s hand in your life. I pray that you will better comprehend the gift that Jesus was when He was born in Bethlehem so long ago. I pray that you will have a fresh view of what Christmas means for you personally in your everyday life, not just in general or overall.

What can you do each day to be closer to Jesus and let Him make you more like Him? How can you continue to be transformed into who He created you to be so that you are different today than you were yesterday and so on?

Ephesians 1:17-21 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

Jesus, what a marvelous mystery that you are revealing to us in your Word. Help us to not just gloss over the familiar words but to look deeper and see what we can glean from them. Holy Spirit teach us what we need to know, help us to look closer and listen better. Thank you Father for the perfect Christmas gift this year, what you gave us then and what you are giving us today by teaching us more about you. Help us to share our exciting news with others. Father, Son and Holy Spirit may you shine through me and may I reflect your love and grace to others this Christmas season.