The results matter!
Devotions this week are based on Week 1 of “He Shall Be Called: Wonderful Counselor” (CLICK HERE)
The result matters.
Matthew 4:12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah. Light came into the darkness.
When one is affected by positive advice, wonderful counsel, it often is like a light goes off. That which was challenging you, you see a path forward. That which was confusing to you, now is made clear. That which seemed insurmountable, now appears like a small bump in the road.
When we connect to the words of Jesus, the outcome is always positive.
I was listening to an interview with Peter Hegseth, the nominee for the Cabinet position of Secretary of Defense. The news reports various challenges he had with two divorces, an affair in a hotel room, challenges with alcohol and various other charges. To be sure one has to filter the media reports to discover the truth, but in the interview Peter expressed in the past years one thing that has changed his perspective and his behavior is a new faith in Jesus. He admits and is not proud of some of the past moral failures but expressed joy in knowing they are reconciled by Jesus. He is ready to serve his country, but he is at peace because he knows as he walks with Jesus, the right thing will always take place.
The results matter.
When we connect to Jesus, we receive wonderful counsel that changes our heart and our life.
Jesus not only preaches repentance but gives forgiveness. He invites us to stop trying to make up for our sins or earn our way into heaven. Personal attempts leave us far short and feeling always worried about our standing with God. Jesus advises, “Confess your sins to me and I am faithful and just and will forgive you from all your sins.”
Jesus invites us to give up our worries about the future and know with confidence that our value before him will always lead him to do what is best for us. Like the sparrows that fill the air don’t have to worry, so we can heed the advice that Jesus reminds us we are much more valuable than they and if our heavenly Father cares for them, he will care for us.
We can seek a lot of counsel and direction in life as to career, purpose, passion etc. All this can be a tool that is helpful, however Jesus reminds us that we are here for the purpose God made us. To glorify God and serve the people around us. He reminds us that our greatest purpose is to let our Christian light shine in the world around us so that people see the good we do in Jesus’ name and praise God who is in heaven.
We get lots of advice about retirement, end of life issues, and fill out a will, medical power of attorney and other documents to prepare for death. Again, these are wise and practical to make it easy on those that survive you, but Jesus reminds us that death is just a transition to heaven for the believer. He is the resurrection and the life and that all who believe in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This is wonderful counsel and wonderful counsel brings wonderful results: a secure and lasting hope that gives our hearts peace today and gives our lives certainty for eternity.
Apply: What counsel from Jesus would help your heart today? Perhaps read a chapter of John’s gospel and ask, “Jesus, show me your wonderful counsel for my life today.”
Prayer: Lord, in all things we rejoice that you sent Jesus, OUR Wonderful Counselor to this earth not only to secure our salvation but to speak truth, wisdom and wonderful counsel into our hearts and lives. AMEN.
The source matters!
Devotions this week are based on Week 1 of “He Shall Be Called: Wonderful Counselor” (CLICK HERE)
The source matters.
When you seek out advice, the source matters.
If you are having trouble with your computer, you probably wouldn’t call a plumber. But if your ceiling is dripping water, a plumber is the person you call. Thanks to YouTube we can all become “experts” at almost anything…ok not everything.
But what about advice for spiritual matters?
As we looked at before, Isaiah certainly discourages looking toward mediums and spiritists when we should be looking to the only source of wonderful counsel, God himself.
He prophesies of light coming into the darkness:
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:2)
At the beginning of John’s Gospel a fulfillment to this prophesy is announced. Along with what the One who brought light was: The Word.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
If we are looking for “Wonderful Counsel” and the one who is THE Wonderful Counselor, it matches perfectly that this would be Jesus.
Remember, “Wonderful” is the reaction of awe when we notice or experience the presence or working of God. Jesus is God.
“Counsel” is the advice or direction of wisdom that is given. Jesus is the Word of God. He is the one who embodies the wisdom from God. He can speak nothing BUT Wonderful Counsel.
Sure, as John says, we can “not understand it” because we are so consumed with the ways and words of darkness, of sin and the evil it creates. We can be so consumed with our own sinful, selfish nature that we refuse to listen to Jesus’ wonderful counsel or simply can’t hear or understand it because our hearts are hard to it.
I pray that this never occurs in your heart. Rather I pray that the power of God’s Spirit “enlighten” your heart to see the light of truth that Jesus’ words bring to our lives and to realize the extreme blessing that comes when Jesus’ wonderful counsel is put into practice in your life.
The source matters.
Look to Jesus and his wonderful counsel for all aspects of your faith and life.
Apply: What things in your life get in the way of listening to Jesus’ wonderful counsel? How can you make an intentional effort to be in the word of God more to hear the wonderful counsel Jesus gives?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for coming to this earth and embodying the wonderful counsel of God to all of us. Spirit of God, open our hearts and minds to receive and put into practice all the wonderful counsel we receive. AMEN.
Don’t blame God when you don’t follow his advice!
Devotions this week are based on Week 1 of “He Shall Be Called: Wonderful Counselor” (CLICK HERE)
Sometimes you can predict the outcome.
The reason that parents advise their children to be careful when choosing their friends, is that they know that the people you hang around will have influence on you. If a group of friends is bent on breaking the law and doing things illegal, you can have a level of certainty the outcome will not be positive for your child if they join them.
However sometimes when a child goes against the will of their parents and they find themselves in trouble and their parents don’t bail them out, they blame their parents for the plight that they experienced.
As a basketball official, you get blamed for things that happen on the court…even sometimes the outcome of the game. You do your best to talk to the players and warn them if they are bordering on illegal behavior. You can warn two post players to stop overly pushing each other, but when they continue you call a foul. Then of course you get blamed for fouling out their key player.
Sometimes you can predict the outcome.
When you get bad (woeful) advice, the chances are great you will have a woeful outcome. When you get wonderful advice and choose to ignore it, you too will see a woeful outcome.
The same is true of our spiritual lives.
I was talking recently to an attender to our church that is new to reading the Bible and the content it covers. However, one observation that she made was this, “There are things that happen in the Bible that still happen today.”
Very true.
All throughout the Bible God in his love is giving guidance, direction and advice to his people. When they follow it, they are blessed. When they don’t, the outcome isn’t pleasant. However, when the outcome is woeful, people still have a tendency to blame God or others for their plight. This is true at the time of Isaiah. Yesterday’s devotion focused on the source of advice people were seeking (mediums and spiritists). Here’s the result:
Isaiah 8:21 Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.
Woeful advice or ignoring wonderful advice will result in woeful results.
The same is true today. Seek individuals who desire to give you wonderful counsel, advice from God. Ignore or abandon counsel that leads you away from God and his promise. And if you follow woeful counsel or ignore wonderful advice, don’t blame God, repent and turn back to God.
Apply: Take time to evaluate the source of the advice you are receiving. Ensure as much as possible that advice is flavored from God’s perspective. If results don’t turn out as you want, turn toward God not away from him!
Prayer: Lord, open my heart and ears to always hear and follow your advice. For you promise that your counsel will always work for my blessing. AMEN.
How’s that working for you?
Devotions this week are based on Week 1 of “He Shall Be Called: Wonderful Counselor” (CLICK HERE)
How’s that working for you?
The famous TV psychologist, “Dr. Phil,” was known to interview individuals going through different personal or relationship issues. They would describe the often bizarre things that were going on and how their life was not going very well. While they came on the show for advice, some seemed reluctant to take Dr. Phil’s advice and try something different. When they pushed back on his advice and seemed to want to keep doing what they were doing and get different results, he would ask, “How’s that working for you?”
The point was to have the guest evaluate the advice they had received and the results it was getting for them. If they liked the results (which was usually why they were on the show in the first place), great keep doing them and get the negative results. However, if it wasn’t working, perhaps it was time to listen to some new advice and try something new.
Perhaps we have encountered situations in our life where the advice and actions we were receiving and taking were not having a positive outcome. It’s time to try something new.
We are not the first ones to find ourselves with a result in life that is short of what we desire and most of all short of what God desires.
In Isaiah’s day he calls out the woeful advisors to whom the people of Israel were going. The results were evident that the advice was bad.
Here’s what Isaiah wrote:
Isaiah 8:19 When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.
People were seeking advice and being told to consult mediums, spiritists, or even the dead themselves. What kind of advice would ungodly, dead people give? A rational person would say, “Not good!” However, people saw these sources as a place to go for advice. Unfortunately this can still be true today. You can read your horoscope or have someone interpret Tarot cards. You can have someone try to conjure up a dead relative…all to seek input and advice on life.
“How’s that working for you?” the prophet seems to be saying. The rhetorical question assumes, “Not very well.” These are woeful advisors and with woeful advisors you get horrible results.
The answer? Inquire of God. Seek God’s truth in the “law and testimony,” his Word. This source of truth and body of truth are the only places that will “illumine” your heart and life to the blessings of God. Why walk in the darkness of woeful advisors when you can walk in the wonderful counsel of the God who made you, redeemed you and wants nothing but the best for you!
Apply: Evaluate the source of the advice you seek and receive. Is it moving you toward God or away from him? Get rid of woeful advisors and seek God’s wonderful counsel.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your love which always guides me into your wonderful counsel. AMEN.
He Shall Be Called: Wonderful Counselor
Devotions this week are based on Week 1 of “He Shall Be Called: Wonderful Counselor” (CLICK HERE)
Isaiah 9:6 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.
The prophet Isaiah was God’s spokesman about 700 years before Jesus was born. He spoke to the people of Judah and as was the case in many seasons of God’s people they would would drift away from the Lord and seek after other gods and follow the influence of the people’s around them. The drifting was dangerous and led to hardship for God’s people. However, amidst the calls to repentance were also communication of God’s promise and reason for the people to have hope that God’s love and grace had not failed them. Isaiah 9:6 is one of those prophecies.
Over the next weeks we will reflect on each of these names and the significance of each. This week “Wonderful Counselor”
A counselor is one from whom we seek advice. We may seek counsel when we get stuck, seem to be in a negative pattern, or simply need help making a decision. People take up the profession of “Counseling” usually with a degree in psychology. Usually counsel is sought out, but sometimes we receive “unsolicited advice.” The point is that a counselor is one who gives us advice. Another word for “counselor” might be “advisor.”
Wonderful is the word that describes the “Counselor.” “Wonderful” implies a positive experience that is usually better than one might expect. Wonderful in the Bible is often used as something that is of divine origin and causes awe in one’s heart or mind. Perhaps another way to look at these two words, “Wonderful Counselor” is this: One who gives advice that is of God.
Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of this as he is the one that is “the Word made flesh.” In all of his life and ministry he spoke the very Words of God. He stands in contrast to advisors who give advice that seeks to eliminate God as a source of wisdom. Some may claim that the advice that comes from Jesus is “old fashioned,” “irrelevant,” or simply empty of truth.
So what advice have you been seeking or taking? Are the people from whom you seek counsel ones who are seeking the wisdom of God, or simply giving the best secular advice they can come up with?
This week we will consider the difference between “woeful counsel” and “wonderful counsel.” At first the two may seem obvious, but even 2700 years after Isaiah we are tempted to seek woeful counsel instead of relying on our Wonderful Counselor.
Apply: Consider woeful and wonderful advice you have received. What has been the result of both?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for sending your Son to be our Wonderful Counselor. Help me to more consistently seek his advice for all aspects of life. AMEN