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For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 6:9).

What comes to mind when you think of the word mighty?  I think of words like powerful, capable, strong and influential.  What kinds of people do you think of as mighty?  Political leaders?  Business leaders?  Religious leaders?  NFL players?  What about terrorists?  Some of these people/groups use their might for goodness while others use it for evil.  Whether through physical power, political power, financial influence or the ability to invoke pain and suffering, I think the adjective mighty can be used to accurately describe them all.

Mighty God is the name of Jesus we are studying today.  According to scripture, Jesus embodied all the characteristics listed above (powerful, capable, strong, influential).

…He is the head over every power and authority (Colossians 2:10).

…all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).

The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe (Proverbs 18:10).

But Jesus’ might didn’t come from his political position, financial resources or physical strength.  Because everything in the world belongs to God, he could have used any of these avenues to express his dominion over the world, but he didn’t.  It wasn’t his plan.  Jesus’ power and might came from love, not winning.  From putting others’ needs ahead of his own, from serving.

Think of it this way – you can’t just give yourself the title of “mighty”.  This characteristic is only valid when others esteem you as such.  Its like being a leader – you aren’t a leader unless someone is following you.  Jesus had power, strength and capability based on his position as God’s son.  His influence, however, came from his love.  People followed Jesus because he loved them, he served them and he put their needs ahead of his own, even to the point of giving his life in exchange for theirs.

Do you want to be influential?  Do you want to be a leader?  Do you want to be regarded as mighty?  Try serving others, and putting their needs ahead of your own.

The greatest among you will be your servant (Matthew 23:11).

 

John 1:41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother, Simon, and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).

In the first chapter of John we learn about John the Baptist. He was the one sent to pave the way for Jesus, to prepare everyone for his coming. The Jewish leaders sent priests to John to ask who he was and what he was doing. He was a strange  man who didn’t fit in and was spreading some interesting news about the coming Messiah. The leaders were concerned because they were expecting a political leader as well as a spiritual leader in the Messiah and this man “paving the way” did not fit with their expectations. This was not the way the Messiah was supposed to save them! The beauty of Jesus coming to save the world was that he did not come for just one group of people. He came for ALL. Jesus did not start his ministry by meeting with the Jewish leaders and setting up a political agenda or meeting with those in high social standing. Instead, he was obedient to God and was baptized by John even though John was not worthy to “be his slave or untie the straps of his sandal”. They had been waiting for the Messiah and He was finally here. In John 1:41 Andrew couldn’t wait to tell his brother Simon that they found the Messiah.  Once they knew Him they started following him immediately. Can you imagine the excitement in his voice as he shared the good news with his brother? Everything was going to change for them and they were hopeful as they saw the prophecy being fulfilled.

There is a book we have read with our kids over the years and it is one of my absolute favorites! It is “The Jesus Storybook Bible” written by Sally Lloyd-Jones and Illustrated by Jago.  It is simple to read and I often pick it up on my own before bed or when I just want something sweet and simple. From this book I learned that the whole Bible is the story of Jesus, the Messiah. The front cover says “Every story whispers his name”. Each chapter of the Bible points to God’s plan to save through Jesus. From Genesis to Revelation, it is about Jesus. Without Him, we would not have our salvation and our relationship with God. In the book Jesus is referred to as the “rescuer” which is a perfect way to describe our Messiah.

Do you know your “rescuer” and are you eager to tell others that you found him like Andrew did in John 1:41? It is the best news we can give in a time of uncertainty and unrest. Jesus came as the Messiah for ALL!

Shelly

 

Today’s Reading:  I Timothy 2:5

Daily we are confronted with situations that allow us to make decisions based on our past experiences. As adults these decisions are formed from a complex and diverse skillset and experiences to make the best choice in the midst of many variables.  For children, this process is sometime much simpler.  Last weekend, our family went on an adventure of camping.  Camping has become a tradition that the kids and we enjoy. Each time camping is a different experience.  Something is always changing and exciting.  I remember the first time that we went camping and the closest restroom was a primitive restroom, a natural latrine.  The youngest kids were to little to use it properly and the older kids would not attempt.   Now everyone used the latrine without hesitation.

During these trips, we can reconnect with the kids on an individual basis and some of the insights can be remarkable.  While on a walk to the main office, Ollie and I had a conversation about the trip and what were the highlights of the trip.  As he was recounting the highs about the trip he also stated “ Those people in the RVs are not really camping”.  This made me pause and inquire more about the statement.  Ollie replied, “Real camping is in tents and not in the RVs with running water and air condition.”  I had to gently redirect his view of the situation.  We had a dialogue on the different ways of camping and how different people chose to enjoy nature differently, but we are all able to participate in the beauty that God has given us.  We have to be grateful in all aspects of camping from backpacking to glamping.

This interaction with Ollie helped me to reflect on the many areas of my life and my thinking and become more aware of the benefit that we have Christ as a mediator for us.  There have been many situations that I have misinterpreted, but God allowed me to see it through his eyes.  There are situations that he has been a guard and shield for me.  These situations are not guaranteed to work out easily, but with His presence, they have been a benefit for his Glory.   In the midst of so many different scenarios and situations, we could be seen differently outside of the true content.

While on the campgrounds there was a beautiful RV camper that was created for a person who had been through some difficult situations.  This camper was a sanctuary for this person.  This was a way to create a new sense of peace and wholeness for this person.  But if we were only thinking from one perspective, we could have missed to deeper meaning.

Christ through the manifestation as a human from the Spirit of God has been given the ultimate ability to intercede and be our chief mediator to God the Father.  Just as with our children, we often cannot understand the complexities that Christ advocates for us to God on a daily basis.  This advocacy didn’t start after the death, burial and resurrection, it was present at the beginning of creation and it is also recovered in the oldest book of the bible Job.

Job 16:19-21 (NIV)

Even now my witness is in heaven;
my advocate is on high.
²⁰ My intercessor is my friend^[a]
as my eyes pour out tears to God;
²¹ on behalf of a man he pleads with God
as one pleads for a friend.

 Christ has always been our advocate, but his sacrifice completed the ultimate place as the mediator who can represent us in spite of our sins and transgressions.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for our Mediator in Christ.  Thank you for the gift that you gave so that we may be able to communicate with you personally through Christ. Thank you for the peace that you give us in spite of our sins.  Amen

Are you a Master at anything?  I found a list of things that you can actually become a master at:  Master conductor, Master gardener, Master chef, Master mechanic, Master sommelier, Master electrician, Master carpenter, and I am sure there are more that I didn’t list.  You can also get a Master’s Degree in numerous subjects.  To be a master at something means that you know a subject or can you can perform it very well.  I read that it takes 10,000 hours or more to become a master in a certain area.  That means that it would take 416.67 days non-stop to become a master in the area of your choice!  That is a lot of dedication!

To become a Master, usually one is required to become an apprentice.  An apprentice is someone who trains for a career by working under the supervision of more experienced workers.  In Biblical times (and today), a disciple was part of a deliberate apprenticeship, a follower or adherent of Jesus, the one true Master.  

In Luke 8:24 we read about the disciples calling Jesus, Master.

The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”  He got up and rebuked the wind and raging waters;  the storm subsided, and all was calm.  

The disciples were saying “Master, Master,” meaning teacher, chief or commander.  If you recall the story, Jesus and the disciples were boating to the other side of the lake, but as there were sailing along a fierce wind descended upon the lake.  In their anxiety and fear of the storm they cried out to Jesus as their Master.  The very next verse answers our question as to who Jesus is that He could quiet the storm.

…In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this?  He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

Luke 8:25

He is the Creator (John 1:1-3), the Almighty God, the real “Master” of the universe!  When the disciples called on Jesus they were looking to the one Man who has the ultimate authority over all the earth.  The one Man who could take the churning waters threatening to consume them, command, “Peace,” and have complete and immediate obedience.  Like apprentices looking to their Master for protection and provision, they pleaded with the One who could meet their needs.  

As we have been reading in every Bible Journal Post this year, Jesus has many names.  But we see here in Luke 8 that when Jesus was called out as Master in the midst of a life-devouring storm, He was moved to action.  He came to their rescue.  Jesus is the Master because He has the power and the ultimate authority to speak even to the winds and waves.  The powerful forces of nature listened and obeyed because He was, without question, Master.

Just as the disciples faced the storm, we face many storms in our own lives.  The disciples were positive that Jesus could save them from the storm and they called on Him.  Will we call on Him when we face the storms in our life?  Will we call Him Master?

John 6:49-50 : “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.”

Have you ever tried eating the same meal over and over and over? Late last year I started meal-prepping my lunches for the week, cooking a big pot of curried lentil stew to eat throughout the week. On it’s own, it’s not a bad meal; it’s nutritious, very cheap, takes a short time to cook, and I do like the taste. But let me tell you, after eating that same lunch almost every weekday for seven months now, it gets a little tough to swallow some days. But still I’m grateful that I’ve been provided plenty to eat at all.

In John 6, when the crowd at Capernaum asks Jesus for a sign that He has come to do God’s work, citing their ancestors’ 40-year manna diet while wandering the desert. Specifically, they say in verse 31: “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” This bread, which we know as manna, was allotted by God as sustenance for the Israelites in their decades of wandering. Described in Exodus 16 as “a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground,” as well as “like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey,” the Israelites were able to gather it to make bread, owing their survival to this manna, a gift from God. It was partly to test the Israelites’ trust in the Lord, but also an act of great kindness and generosity to a people who were not at all grateful to an abundantly kind Lord. Of course, even then the Israelites grumbled at the prospect of having to live off this bread alone. I can’t say from my human perspective that I can’t relate; not only to eating the same meal over and over (it’s tough enough with the same lentil stew for seven months, I can’t imagine 40 years of the stuff), but how from time to time I can tend to overlook the bigger picture while focusing instead on my few annoyances.

But as Jesus reminds these people, even with day after day of being blessed with manna from heaven, they still died, same as the rest of us. This part of Jesus’s statement is a sobering reminder: yes, God will provide for us. As Jesus says in Matthew 6:31-33, “do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear? …Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” God has promised to meet our basic needs as long as we remain faithful, and in our faith we know He makes good every promise. But nothing the Lord will provide to fill our stomachs, or keep us warm, or protect us from the elements, or any thing of this world, will prevent death. Though they can satisfy us for the moment, no temporal good can hold off sin’s wages. This mirrors our spiritual lives as well; how often we can look to gain fulfillment in things of this world, but end up underwhelmed and spiritually malnourished in this pursuit, no closer to salvation than before.

Thankfully, God always has a plan. In this case, not only for the physical fulfillment, but spiritual fulfillment as well. Just as God provided bread from the heavens for the Israelites, Christ came down from heaven to give us the Bread of Life, of which we can eat and not perish. What better words to hear on this than verses 35 to 40:

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.’”

Only through coming to Jesus and living out His word can we experience eternal life in Him. Only by offering our lives to Christ can we endure to eternal life. While God may provide for our needs now, it is our choice to eat the true bread of life. I pray today for the hunger in my spirit; not to be content with the things of this earth, but to fully pursue Jesus with my heart and soul. I know Christ will provide food to fill my stomach and a roof over my head, but none of those earthly things bring eternity with Christ. Lord, help us today to put aside the blessings of this world in favor of something more; to appreciate and be thankful for all you’ve given us on this earth, but even more, in all we say and do, to come to Christ and partake in your word.