Nicknames
I finally slept better last night and after going to bed early had a better day. My improvement was just in time for my doctor’s appointment! I does feel like I am getting to the end of my coughing spells and the NP I met with said three weeks isn’t that abnormal.
After my appointment and a “longer than it should have taken” wait at the pharmacy for a prescription, I did get in a good work out at the fitness center. I than ran some errands which took longer than anticipated, so by the time I returned home the dog was hungry and I was behind on my noon pills by about three hours.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “For to 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 9:6
I recall a great-uncle who seemed to have a “nickname” for everyone of his children. Then add a few other family members who was known by some moniker other than their given name and it was very confusing. Especially for a little kid at family reunions. Nicknames can originate for a wide variety of reasons. I had a nickname that I was “christened” with from a fellow student in a junior high shop class that stuck with me through my high school years. Many students had no idea how the name originated they just called me by that name because “everybody else did.”
The names of the Messiah that we find in Isaiah are not really “nicknames” as much at titles. They were not names that became a common way to refer to Jesus, but they still show who He is and what He is to those who follow Him.
He is the One who is wiser than Solomon and can provide the counsel, comfort and direction that is needed throughout our life. It is right to call Him a “Wonderful Counselor”.
During His earthly ministry the miracles He performed were often more amazing than we can really comprehend. It is true that there is “nothing too difficult for God.” He is the “Mighty God.”
John in his gospel opens with the simple declaration that, “In the beginning was the Word….” Jesus said of His words, “heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away.” The writer of Hebrews declared Him, “the same yesterday, today and forever.” He is the “Everlasting Father.”
He was born into a world of unrest and strife. He faced opposition, doubt and ridicule. His death was torturous and filled with strife and confusion. His resurrection brought comfort and hope to many, but there were those who doubted and they persecute those who believed. Yet in the midst of it all, He is, the “Prince of Peace.” That is because peace is more than the absence of outside conflict it is that which is in our hearts. The angels at His birth declared,“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14) The prophet said, “…the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) And we realize that one day when Christ reigns supreme peace will come to the world and its systems.
The wonder of Christmas is not the baby in the manger. It is God coming to the earth and His abiding presence in our life today by the Holy Spirit. We can know Him by more than a nickname or a title, we can know in a personal way the reality of this Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace in our lives.