On the Couch With God - Daily Devotional

Text: Luke 2.1-20 Merry Christmas!!!! Over the past few days, we have read about the baby Jesus as the Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He is ‘God with us’, Immanuel. This is great news! Because He came and, through Him, all things were made new, you and I have been made new in Christ. Hallelujah! Paul writes we are a new creation (Gal. 6:15; 2 Cor. 5:17). After that first Christmas, the world was different. Jesus changed everything. The spiritual world became visual to the natural world in Christ. God’s Kingdom was inaugurated into it, and our world was impacted by God’s intervention to transform it by His Son. Now Christmas is also a time when we can look forward to His return to the earth. This is why Christmas is a time of celebration. We celebrate as a family, because we have the promise that all believers are part of God’s family. The feast is a sign to the future feast of the Lamb. Christmas is a time where all things point to Jesus and His...

“For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us,… He will be named… Prince of Peace…” (Isaiah 9.6). Jesus was born in a time of constant conflict. In fact, the New York Times says “Of the past 3,400 years, humans have been entirely at peace for 268 of them, or just eight percent of recorded history.” It seems people have difficulties in living in peace. There is something within us that draws us to conflict. People desire peace but often find war. Israel as a whole was at peace when Jesus was born; however, there were regular rebellions against the Romans that occupied the land. Rome was constantly at war in one part or another of their vast empire. It was into this context that the Prince of Peace was born. At first, the world did not grasp the reality of the birth of the Prince of Peace. The shepherds were surprised by the visit of a host of heaven’s angels announcing the good news. “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Lu...

“For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us,… He will be named… Everlasting Father…” (Isaiah 9.6). The concept of fatherhood may be a difficult one. It can stir up diverse emotions. I have met people who could not say anything good about their father, others were fatherless. However, there is a desire within us to get connected in a healthy way, to a father figure. Even if our own father was not the person we could put our trust in, or we never actually knew, we can turn to our Everlasting Father, accepting Him into our lives in the knowledge that we can put our whole trust in Him. The contemporary world says, “let us not talk about those topics that are controversial or bring negative emotions.” However, Jesus says, “I came for you to find the perfect Father that will embrace and hold you through all situations.” Our Father in heaven wants to connect with you through Jesus. He desires to bring healing of emotions and wholeness of life. Those who know Jesus, know the E...

“For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us,… He will be named… Mighty God…” (Isaiah 9.6). Christmas is a time where all images of Jesus are represented as a fragile baby. Indeed, a child is fragile, and it is dependent on his/her parents for anything and everything. This is the reason why it is sometimes hard to consider baby Jesus being the Mighty God. Christmas is about how the Mighty God became wholly man and wholly God. A beautiful story of redemption that is manifest in history through the birth of a child. Jesus is not just another child. He is the Mighty God. He is not just a reflection of God, or used to be God, he is God and He is a man. HE IS THE WORD, the Creator of the heavens and earth. God becomes a reality in human history. It is not an accident, but it is a definite act of love and mercy towards all people. We see Jesus is the same God that rescued Israel from Egypt, guided Israel into the Promised Land, and used Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of the cit...

“For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9.6). Christmas is the most incredible story ever told. It is impossible to imagine it being any different. The idea of the Almighty God being born as a human child is beyond our understanding, particularly when the reason for his birth was His love for the world and His people. The whole idea that God that loves, was a foreign concept to the ancient world. Emmanuel (God with us) means that God is 100% man and 100% God. He was not just another child being born in ancient Israel. He was the promised Messiah. The One that the prophets spoke about. He was God’s greatest promise and a unique gift to the whole world. In today’s bible verse, Isaiah describes the promised child using four descriptive names. Today, we will look at the first one of them: Wonderful Counsellor. Jesus was not just the S...