Friday, December 6, 2013

A Christmas Devotion #5

Isaiah 9:6,7 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of Peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this”.

What an unbelievable portion of scripture this is. There is so much prophecy in this Messianic text that we could delve into but it is the phrase, "There will be no end to the increase of His government or of Peace" that we shall fix our gaze upon. If there is anything that the enemy will try to rob us of, it is peace. Unfortunately, at this time of the year many people are losing their peace and getting stressed over things. Whether it is looking for that perfect gift for someone, only to find someone else got the last one or worrying about the financial implications of the season, a lack of inner tranquility seems to raise its ugly head. It is saddening that our peace can be taken from us, in what should be the most peaceful season of all. We sometimes need to take a step back and look at who is the ‘reason for the season’ and who it is that we joyfully serve. It is a Lord whose increase of Peace will never cease in its expansion. Peace ever-increasing! That is something we simply can’t understand. I say, ‘thank the Lord for the fact that we can’t fathom His Peace’. The Word of God tells us that the Lord will give us the Peace that surpasses all understanding. Just take a moment to think about that. If God gave us a peace that we could understand via our own intellect, it would not really be the peace we need. It has to be a peace that surpasses understanding, a peace that we can’t bring under the submission of our own knowledge. This type of peace we can truly rest in, knowing that the Lord’s Peace to us is a gift that is far above anything we can comprehend.

The 1st Century writer Epictetus said this: "While the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief, and envy; he cannot give peace of heart, for which man yearn for more than even outward peace."

Don't let your Peace be robbed from you this Christmas season but look to the Ancient of Days who will never cease to increase in Peace.

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