Real Truth for Real Life
His Name IS Advent Devotion: Day 22
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. —Isaiah 9:6
May the Word of God encourage your heart today as you read through these Scriptures that speak of Jesus as our Prince of Peace:…continue reading
His Name IS Advent Devotion: Day 21
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. —Isaiah 9:6
Take a look at the definition for Everlasting Father in the original language:
everlasting – ‘aḏ – A noun meaning eternity; perpetuity, for ever, continuing future. The word signifies God’s dwelling place.
Father – ’âḇ – of God as father of his people
In Genesis 21:33, God reveals Himself to Abraham by His name, ’êl ‘ôlâm, the Everlasting God!
’êl – God, the one true God, Jehovah; mighty things in nature strength, power; Almighty God.
‘ôlâm – everlasting, indefinite or unending future, eternity, for ever, always.
Read through the following verses that help us to know He is our Everlasting Father:…continue reading
We are just a few days from Christmas! Perhaps your strength and stamina are quickly waning. Perhaps you’re facing a difficult situation this Christmas that is beyond your ability to bear. Take heart and be encouraged! Our God is Mighty! And He allows things into our lives to drive us to the feet of Jesus. He WILL give us things beyond our ability to endure, because He wants us to come to Him, rest in Him and look to Him for our strength. We need Him desperately, but our self-sufficiency is often a barrier to experiencing the abundance of His presence in our lives and all the joy, peace and pleasure that He brings.
His Name IS Advent Devotion: Day 20
His Name IS Advent Devotion: Day 19
He is our Wonderful Counselor!
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. —Isaiah 9:6
Take a look these words in the original Hebrew language:
wonderful – p̱ele’ – wonder, marvel wonder ( extraordinary, hard to understand thing) wonder ( of God’s acts of judgment and redemption.
counselor – yâ‘aṣ – to advise, consult, give counsel, counsel, purpose, devise, plan.
What do we know about the plans of the Lord? …continue reading
How will the love of Jesus find expression in your life as you seek to love others this Christmas season?
Thanks for sticking with us the last four weeks. This week we conclude our study just in time to celebrate and rejoice in the birth of our Savior! I pray your Christmas has been a little different this year because you have sought to make Christ the center. This week we’ll conclude our study by examining Psalm 86:13 and the steadfast love our of God.…continue reading
His Name IS Advent Devotion: Day 18
As we continue to examine some of the prophecies on the birth, life and death of Jesus, we find rich encouragement in Isaiah 9:6. The indescribable gift of Jesus’ presence is expounded upon in this verse. Look at the first part of verse six:
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder… —Isaiah 9:6a…continue reading
Joy. It’s something we all seek and desire in our lives. Many times we confuse joy and happiness. Happiness based on the word “happenstance” is fickle and fleeting depending on our circumstances. Joy however, is steadfast and sure. Joy is not dependent upon our circumstances or feelings. It’s deep and abiding. Today’s Scripture is all about how we can experience joy, regardless of our circumstances.
His Name IS Advent Devotion: Day 17
As we continue to work our way through Isaiah 9:2-7 and today we come to verse 3.
You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. —Isaiah 9:3
Three times in this one verse we find the word joy —there are three different Hebrew words for joy in this one passage:
Christmas lights! One of my favorite things to do during this season is to drive around and look at Christmas lights. I love to sit in our family room with all the lights off except for the glow of the fire and white lights on the evergreen tree. It’s so peaceful and just makes my heart happy! Today we will examine the gift of Light.
His Name IS Advent Devotion: Day 16
Yesterday you read through and examined Isaiah 9:2-7. I love how this passage begins:
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone. —Isaiah 9:2…continue reading
It is the season for giving gifts. Perhaps at this point, you have finished your Christmas shopping. Perhaps you’re still searching for that “perfect” gift for someone in your life. Perhaps you have not even begun your shopping and will be hitting the stores on Christmas Eve. Wherever you find yourself in the gift-giving process, our next Scripture on the birth and life of Christ will encourage you. We’ll spend a few days examining this passage in Isaiah as we come to know more about this indescribable gift we have all been given!
His Name IS Advent Devotion: Day 15
We’ll spend the next several days examining Isaiah 9:6-7. For now, read through this wonderful passage of Scripture and note what you learn about the following:
Have you ever waited so long for something you felt it would never come to pass? It’s frustrating to wait. It can often leave us feeling an anxious, discouraged, disappointed and even hopeless.
What are you waiting on this Christmas season?
The Good News is that once we have entrusted our lives to Jesus, we will always have hope and can face our waiting seasons with courage and confidence knowing our God will act and He is faithful! He is always working things in accordance with His most perfect will for our ultimate good and His glory. We can wait with an abiding sense of peace even in the midst of turmoil and unrest.
His Name IS Advent Devotion: Day 14
Read Luke 2:1-7.
The Christmas story is the fulfillment of a long-awaited promise. A phrase that struck me in our passage today was the word “time”. God’s timing is always perfect and never too late.
Read the following passages (Old Testament prophecies and New Testament fulfillment) and note what you learn about timing.
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: The Lord is our righteousness.’ —Jeremiah 33:14-16
Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: The Lord is our righteousness.’ —Jeremiah 23:5-6
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. —Luke 2:1-6
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” —Luke 2:10-12
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. —Galatians 4:4-5
Whatever you find yourself waiting on today, you can rest confidently knowing that God is faithful and He is still acts on behalf of those who love Him…for our good and His glory! And He will use our waiting time to draw close to him to mold us more each day into the character of Jesus.
Wait confidently…
Wait courageously…
Wait rejoicing…
and worship Him while you wait!
For further study read Paul’s declaration found in Acts 13:22-33.
This post was first published on Get Real on December 16, 2014.