“ . . . And he will be called . . . Mighty God  . . . “ Isaiah 9:6

The birthday of our Lord is quickly approaching! I pray this Christmas will open for you a new revelation of who Jesus really is. He is so much more than I ever thought He was. I hope you will also discover that Jesus is full of delightful surprises. He won’t just meet your expectations. He exceeds them!

Last week, we saw that Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection paved the way for the Wonderful Counselor to come, the third person of the Divine Trinity. Adam’s choice to step outside of God’s will withdrew the Spirit’s presence from mankind and left us disconnected from God, but Christ’s atoning sacrifice for our sin released Him to dwell within man once more. The fellowship of the Garden has been restored! God now resides within all who believe in Jesus by His Spirit, sealing us as His own, and guiding us along the path of His will.

But God’s perfect counsel in our lives isn’t the only gift Jesus gave us. The outpouring of God’s Spirit on mankind also opened up another new way we can know and experience God. Acts 1:8 teaches,

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Dear one, the manifestation of God’s power accompanies the advent of the Holy Spirit! When we put our faith in Jesus, the might of God comes to rest within us. The ordinary becomes extraordinary as the natural meets the divine. What had been impossible becomes possible as we become living, breathing witnesses of God’s glory “to the ends of the earth.”

We often gaze back at the wonders of the Old Testament with envy. How awesome it would be to see the waters of the Red Sea pile up revealing dry ground! To witness water bursting forth from a rock to quench our thirst! To experience God’s daily provision as bread literally fell from the sky . . . the Israelites even walked the desert for forty years in shoes that did not wear out.

Pretty amazing, I admit. But our longing for the days of old often ignores the great reality that accompanied the Israelites through those miracles: they were miserable.

Even with the glory of God revealed before their very eyes, they doubted Him. They turned away from Him and rebelled. They repeatedly grumbled against God, saying, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt!” (Exodus 16:3)

They saw visible evidence of His presence, yet still they rebelled. How could they have been so callous toward God?  

Because they’re just like you and me. They had a heart condition, one that Christ came to heal and restore.

God still desires to do wondrous works in the lives of His people, dear one. But He redirected the focus of His power with the coming of Jesus. Now He has set His gaze on restoring the deceitful human heart.

Beloved, the miracles of today are no longer limited to the external works of old—the parting of seas or even the calming of storms witnessed in Jesus’ day. A far greater miracle awaits those who will yield to the work of the Holy Spirit. Through Jesus, God now raises what sin has left dead.

Ephesians 1:19-20 describes “his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.”

Beloved, if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, the same power that raised Christ from the dead now resides in you. And it’s available to you. In fact, God is just waiting for you to choose to use it so He can show Himself mighty on your behalf. He seeks to work within your very being, fixing what’s been broken and recreating you into someone completely new—the “you” He created you to be.

So why do we seem to witness so little of God’s mighty power? Most of us simply refuse to admit how desperately we need it. Our pride convinces us that we carry no baggage and we have no need to seek God for His healing power.

Would you open your heart to the possibility that you have been deceived, dear one? Would you consider that a miraculous work bearing your name awaits you from God’s hand?

Perhaps Jesus has brought you here to heal some wounds you can’t yet recognize you carry. Trust Him with your heart, dear one. Offer it to Him and give Him permission to do His mighty work. You just might be amazed at what He shows you.

And as the heavy chains you’ve carried fall broken to the ground, you will discover a new and wondrous joy—a joy you did not know you could feel. And your heart will leap in celebration as a new understanding of freedom in Christ is revealed.

Beloved, God wants to show Himself mighty in you!

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

“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

I trust by now you’ve had your fill of turkey, stuffing, and apple pie—or whatever special foods your traditions dictate for Thanksgiving. And now, I’m guessing that ornaments, evergreens, and sparkling lights are quickly replacing your decorative pumpkins and fall leaves.  Today, in fact, my own home began its transformation.

December ushers in one of my very favorite seasons. The holidays have filled my heart with wonder for as long as I can remember. As we hung the lights and holly and evergreens made their way inside our home, the joy that flickered deep within told me that this time of year was special. Christmas simply felt different than the rest of the year.

As a child I looked forward to it with great anticipation. I loved the family gatherings that accompanied Christmas, complete with caroling, special foods, and holiday smells. But nothing inspired quite as much awe as the sight of the gifts spilling out from under the tree.

Lots of extended family gathered in our home for Christmas, and large numbers of people meant a large number of gifts! Packages and ribbons beckoned our exploration, and I joined my brothers to examine the nametags, searching for the owner of each new possession. Joy would ripple through me when I found my name. This one’s for me.

And hope would rise to the surface. Perhaps this is the one I have been waiting for!

Do you remember how it felt to experience Christmas with the heart of a child, dear one? Can you recall the sensation of sugarplums dancing in your belly, a delightful mingling of anticipation and hope?

For many of us, much of the marvel of the holidays has been replaced by routine. And let’s be honest; the work often overshadows the wonder! Some no longer even experience the thrill of surprise on Christmas morning, having purchased and wrapped the gifts bearing their name beneath the tree with their own hands.

And Jesus, the One whom we gather to celebrate, is almost forgotten, worked into our festivities with brief mentions and a visit to church on Christmas Eve.

Perhaps we have been missing something.

I’d love for you to entertain this thought with me. What if Christmas still holds something worth anticipating? What if its offer of joy, hope, and wonder extends to more than just children? What if you and I could experience that child-like awe as we unwrap the gifts the Christ-child came to bring?

Consider Jesus’ words to His disciples during His earthly ministry:

He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:2-3

Do you have a child-like heart, beloved?

Jesus said that unless we approach Him with the heart of a child, we will miss His kingdom. He wasn’t just referring to the eternal kingdom He will establish when He returns. He was also warning us that we can miss the kingdom blessings we’re supposed to experience on this earth until He does.

Jesus came to the earth to draw us to Him in divine relationship and reveal the glory of what’s to come. He came so people like you and me could know Him and experience a foretaste of heaven.

Have you tasted it, dear one? You’re meant to!

What if we tried a new approach this Christmas? What if we chose to see Jesus as the all-surpassing gift scripture claims He is? What if we opened our hearts to believe like a little child?

Let’s invite the wonder of Christmas to return! Gifts bearing your name await your attention under the tree. Jesus invites you to explore them so you can claim them as your own. This one’s for me.

We will spend the next four weeks unwrapping the gift God gave us in His Son. We will focus on the four names given to Jesus in His prophetic birth announcement proclaimed to us in Isaiah 9:6—Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

Throughout scripture, the names of God appear as the people experienced that aspect of His character. These names, appearing in association with Jesus’ birth, tell us that we are now able to experience God in these ways through Jesus. His birth opened the way to a whole new experience of God!

Dear one, the entire season of Christmas we celebrate is a gift given for you. Jesus is the all-surpassing gift that will exceed your expectations when approached with a humble, expectant heart. What’s more, He’s the gift that keeps on giving!

This season, let’s renew our hearts with a fresh revelation of the true gift of Christmas: Jesus. Allow your heart to open with the wonder of an expectant child, approaching each gift He offers with hope and anticipation.

Beloved, these are the gifts you’ve been waiting for all your life.

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”

John 17:15

I find it interesting that as Jesus knelt in the garden preparing to go to the cross, He clarified what He was not praying.

Did you notice that? Think about it for a moment. I don’t think I’ve ever knelt before God and told Him what I wasn’t praying for. I’m far too focused on the result I’m after. Yet that’s exactly what Jesus did.

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world.”

I think it’s safe to assume that since God is already aware of our thoughts and knows our prayers before we utter them, Jesus meant those words for us. He wanted to be clear. “I am not praying that you be taken out of the world. What I want is your protection while you’re in it.”

Perhaps you haven’t considered this thought before: 

Jesus wants you and I in the world.

That may seem an odd statement to you, especially if you had a church background like mine that stressed the importance of 2 Corinthians 6:16-17,

What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:  “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”  Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate,” says the Lord.

I think we’ve stumbled upon one of those teachable moments when God moves us beyond the surface meaning of a text and opens a window to His heart.

In 2 Corinthians 6, God clearly indicates His desire for us to separate from the world. And yet Jesus prayed that He didn’t want His disciples out of the world. In fact, He clarified His point in John 17:18 when He prayed to the Father,

“As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” (emphasis mine)

So here’s our quandary: Jesus wants us in the world, yet separate from it. I never said following Christ would be easy.

But let’s be honest; easy is usually what we prefer, so we tend to pick one or the other.

Some go into the world but neglect to separate from it. They associate themselves with Jesus, but they don’t look much like Him. They raise grace as a banner to do what they please, adopting the world’s principles and claiming that love shouldn’t offend anyone. They do, however, manage to offend those choosing the separation route.

Many who “separate” from the world fill their schedules with church events and only associate with church people. They avoid people who are too “worldly,” but neglect to ask God what worldly really means. So they come up with a list of things that denote worldliness and do their best to avoid them—things like drinking, dancing, smoking and tattoos—but they give little thought to God’s list.

In case you’re wondering, here’s a partial list He provided in Romans 1:29-31.

Wickedness, evil, greed, depravity, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, arrogant, boastful, disobedient, faithless, heartless . . .

Hmm. I can understand the temptation to focus on the drinking and smoking. Behavior modification is much simpler than what God’s after. To avoid the things on His list—things like greed, envy, gossip, disobedience, and arrogance—we need real heart transformation. Come to think of it, that’s exactly what Jesus indicated when He prayed about sending His disciples into the world.

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me . . . I have sent them into the world.” (John 17:15-18, emphasis mine)

Do you see it, dear one? Go into the world, but don’t be of the world. That’s our calling as Christians. You and I are supposed to carry Jesus into the world, and our presence there will affect change because we are not the same substance as the world we’re in.

Great plan. Our problem has been that most of us have remained so much like the world that we’ve made no difference in it. We may follow a few biblical rules, but our hearts are still bound to the same selfish desires that govern everyone else. We seek comfort and prosperity instead of Jesus. We allow bitterness and unforgiveness to drown out love. We choose ambition instead of humility.

Beloved, darkness has no effect on darkness. It just gets lost within it.

Only light can transform darkness, dear one. And light only becomes possible when we allow Jesus to sanctify our hearts. “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

You and I need to stop simulating righteousness by manipulating the outward things we do. Pretending, after all, bears the mark of the father of lies. 

We need Jesus to cleanse us from the inside out so that real Light can emerge. Change the heart, and our actions will follow.

You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence . . . First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

Matthew 23:25-26

What would happen if each of us set our hearts on God’s priority goal? Transformation into the character of Jesus by the power of the Spirit through the washing of the Word.

The armies of darkness would weaken and crumble in the face of divine Light. Love would advance, and healing would take place in broken lives.

That’s your mission, dear one. Will you let Jesus use you to change the world?