Sunday Devotional 18th December 2022

Sunday Devotional – 18 December 2022

This is the last devotional for the year. We will resume on Sunday 5 February 2023. Thank you for journeying with us. It has been wonderful to explore what God reveals to us about Himself through the Psalms. As we close off the year, I thought we would do something slightly different by looking at what Isaiah said about the King who came to earth. I have taken the reading from the KJV translation.

Isaiah 9:6–7

V6 – For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

V7 – Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Wow – we can never meditate too much on this amazing event that took place 2,000 years ago, bringing a new age to the earth that we are able to be born (again) into. God placed the government of the whole of creation upon the shoulders of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. He has been seated on the royal throne, as the undisputed King of all, from now until eternity. It is through Him alone that anyone can come before God and not be condemned. In fact, those in Christ are urged to come into His presence and enjoy Him as Saviour, God, and King (Hebrews 4:16). Through or better, in Christ we can now enter and participate in the Kingdom of God.

The names listed in V6 are beautiful – not exhaustive (meaning there are more that could be applied), but they do give a wonderful description of who this Messiah is.

He is a wonderful counsellor. Because He is both God and man, He is intimately acquainted with life from our perspective, yet He can apply a power to it that comes from outside of this realm and is beyond anything any great person could do. He fully hears our cries, understands our heart, and calls upon us to submit to Him, trust Him and depend upon Him. He holds within Himself the wisdom of the Father, which is made available to us through His Holy Spirit, and He watches over every event of our lives, never allowing us to be tested beyond what we are able (1 Corinthians 10:13).

He is the everlasting Father, and as such, is the author of everlasting life which is made available for all those who are in Christ. He brings with Him, an everlasting happiness and blessed eternity, which, although futuristic in its fulfilment, is available for us to apply to our lives today.

Because He Jesus introduced Him as our Father, we can now call Him that (I love the word Abba) – a privilege never given to any individual, race, or culture, before the time of Christ.

He is the Prince of Peace. As such He enables all those who are part of His Kingdom to embrace this peace and apply it to their every situation of life. Through His Holy Spirit we can allow this peace to rule our minds and hearts and walk constantly in harmony with Him (John 14:27).

What all of this produces is a strong sense of hope, purpose and protection. When such revelation comes to a person, the person can look towards the future with the belief that the things they are so concerned about can be changed. Their dreams, when godly, can be accomplished. Such a person is motivated, compelled and becomes more than just a problem solver, they become a creator of what is in the heart of the Father, and produce it upon this earth in real time. These people are not easily discouraged and nor will they tolerate the enemies attempts to pull them out of the game with the offer of short enjoyment through sin.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God will ensure, through these, the true people of God, that there will be no end to the increase of His government (kingdom), here on earth. We have the joy in participating in the greatest project of all time – participation in the ever enduring and invincible Kingdom of God. It is a Kingdom that won’t be denied – the zeal of the Lord will ensure that it will achieve its purposes and finally produce the incredible event of the second coming of Christ.

With a worshipful and thankful heart, let’s embrace this mission and not let anything distract us from the joy of it and the amazing event all those in Christ are a part of. Let us think on this as we approach the Christmas period. Consider what it is about, what is our role in it, and make sure that each of us remain diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, but we will all remain faithful until the end.

May God bless you and your family over this Christmas season.

Love to you all – Bruce and the SRT team.