Jesus is My Peace

This isn’t a Christmas post.

 

This is not even a late Christmas post. Maybe it’s just my personality…maybe I’m trying to get the last little bit…like trying to squeeze the last little bit of toothpaste out of a totally flat tube. But I don’t want to leave the season without getting transparent with you one more time.

“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

What a powerful promise!

Isaiah gives us names, not cute nicknames, but identifying labels, so we would comprehend who Jesus came to be in us.

But is He really all those things Isaiah said He would be…

I mean, in a world of heartache and turmoil, is He really the Prince of Peace? Is He really Wonderful? What about Everlasting Father…even in a culture that hardly knows what that means…Is He really all Isaiah prophesied?

Before you get too worried

Let me say, absolutely He is all that Isaiah said and so much more than the verse describes Him.

But although He really is all Scripture says He is…

He will not be all that to you or to me if we leave Him in a manger like an unopened gift.

Or, if we relegate Him to church or only a 911 number, we will not experience the reality of who He really is.

We cannot experience all of who Jesus wants to be in our lives if we try to pick and choose what we want and what we don’t want from Scripture. We cannot behave like children with their hands shoved into a box of cereal picking out only the marshmallows and leaving the cereal for someone else.

We have to take Jesus home with us.

Not just the soft little hands or the adorable little smile that the Christmas story points toward.

But we have to take “the Word made flesh part” too. The difficult parts of Scripture. The verses that we wish weren’t there at all. We have to line up our lives with Scripture. Not that we are perfect or that we ever will be perfect, but if we want to experience Him as Wonderful, Prince of Peace and all the benefits that come with Christian Living, we can’t pick and choose to suit our whims and personal taste. We have to line up our attitudes with God’s Word. We have to make Him the center of our lives, not just when it is convenient or when we like what He says.

I’ve had to live that Truth out.

I’ve struggled with truths that I’ve seen in Scripture. Truths that seemed unfair. Truths that were beyond my ability. I mean really, really struggled.

So I prayed.

“God, I want to do what’s right. God, show me what to do.”

 My focus was on my ability to do what was right.

I messed up.

Repented.

Struggled some more.

God spoke to my heart. You haven’t asked me to help you.

My heart melted. All this talk about Him being Emmanuel, (God with Us) and I hadn’t even asked Him to help me.

Emanuel, God With Us, is more than a Christmas Message. Tweet this!

Was it really that simple?

So I asked. Words so simple.

Submission so deep. (Could that…submission be the real issue here?)

How could I forget? Help me. Please help me to do things your way.

The next morning, I heard Him clearly ask, “Why are you giving them the power to hurt you?” It was so clear. Why didn’t I see it before? Tweet this!

With my new freedom, I realized that I had not experienced the Prince of Peace in that situation, because I was picking and choosing instead of depending on Him for help. He wanted to give me wisdom…insight…peace, but I was too busy trying to fix me… instead of snuggling close and allowing Him to guide me.

Thank you Father for your amazing gift.

Help us to open it. Help us to know you well enough to surrender every part of our lives so we can experience “Who” you are in greater ways than ever before.