And His name is Jesus!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

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 (NIV))

What do you think of when you think of a child being born?

What do you think of when a son comes into a family?

There was a time in history, and it is still this way in many cultures, where a child, especially a son, meant a new beginning. It meant an inheritance. It meant that authority would soon be passed from the father to the son. It was a right of passage and a transition from the old to the new. The son was to be groomed to assume all authority at an appointed time.

We have been given a Son and His name is Jesus!

He came as a child, but He was not like any other child. He was God with us. He grew into a man and taught the truth about God’s Law. Law comes from the authority of the government and His authority was final. He did away with the man-made rituals and interpretations that had corrupted God’s Law. He taught that it was more important to fulfill the intent of the Law and not the letter of the Law.

He turned the religious authority upside down. He turned the world upside down.

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
(Matthew 20:26-28 (NIV))

Does it go against your limited human understanding to comprehend, to accept the fact that God stepped out of heaven into the world that He created to save the world that He created? The God of all creation did not come into the world to be served, to be worshipped, but to serve by showing us how He intended for us to live! He stepped down from His eternal throne surrounded by angels into a manger in a stable! If that doesn’t blow your mind, then nothing will. He loves us that much!

We all love when a child comes into a family. How much more should we love that the child has come to redeem us to Himself?

And His name is Jesus!

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you ready and able to stand?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
(Ephesians 6:12-13 (NIV))

This is so hard to remember when we are faced with trials and tribulations from all sides. Sometimes it even feels that all that we do is thwarted by an unseen enemy who hates what we love.

Wait a minute!

That sounds just like Satan and he does hate what we love.

And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down–that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
(Revelation 12:7-9 (NIV))

Because of his rebellion against God, he and his fallen angels have been cast out of heaven. They hate God and desire nothing more than to usurp God’s authority. That is what happened when Adam and Eve allowed Satan to become the prince of this world. Our ancestors legally gave the authority that God gave them to Satan. Satan and his followers work in the shadows to deceive and destroy all that is God’s creation and all who call upon the name of the Lord. Just like we cannot see God, we cannot see Satan, but we feel the effects of his wrath against those who love God.

There is constant warfare in the spiritual realm because of these events. What happens in the physical world is only a shadow of what happens in the spiritual realm.

We are at war!

Our enemy cannot be seen, but we can arm ourselves with God’s armor and we can overcome the enemy.

Are you prepared for the struggle? Are you focusing your battle tactics where they belong? Are you ready and able to stand?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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