.....gift

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

The story of Jesus coming into the world is not so much the story of a birth as it is the story of a gift. From Earth’s perspective, it was the entrance of Jesus into Planet Earth. But from Heaven’s perspective, it was the departure of Jesus Christ from Heaven. Jesus is God. Therefore, He is eternal. He has always existed. But at just the right time, the Son of God came to this earth. The Bible says, “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law” Galatians 4:4.

Jesus made a choice to leave the glory of Heaven and walk among us as a man. The very Son of God was born into the most unsanitary conditions imaginable, laid in a little bed of straw, and wrapped in pieces of cloth. This is how the Creator of the universe came to us in human form. The first Christmas was not about a gift to a child; it was about the gift of a child. “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” 9:6. Each word describes a different insight into the nature, character, purpose, and plan.

His name is Wonderful Counselor. That takes care of the dullness of life. We no longer have to settle for the cheap substitutes but instead can experience what God has for us. It also takes care of the decisions of life. No longer do the problems we face need to plague us, because there is One who wants to counsel us.

His name is Mighty God. That takes care of the demands of life. We must never forget that Jesus was God incarnate. This means that Jesus has unlimited power. And if we put our trust in this Mighty God, He will give us the power to live the life He has called us to live.

His name is Everlasting Father. That takes care of our future. We know that life is not merely what we experience here and now on Earth. According to the Bible, we will live forever. The big question is where we will live. If we put our faith in Jesus Christ, then we will live in Heaven. Because He was born, crucified, and resurrected, we can have this hope beyond the grave.

His name is Prince of Peace. That takes care of the disturbances of life. Life throws us a lot of curve balls. Frightening things happen, and we often don’t know what to do. We need the Prince of Peace to step in. We don’t have to wait for Christ to return before we can experience His rule and reign in our lives. That can happen right now. We can surrender our lives to Him and experience the purpose and plan that He has for us. 

- adapted from gregory laurie