“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.” — Isaiah 9:6–7 (9NASB95)

Another very popular Messianic prophecy, but again, not what I would like this devotion to be about. Looking at these verses from a higher level you can’t miss the point that the Messiah would bring righteousness and peace to a wrong and troublesome world. Righteousness and peace: these are two amazing qualities that not only characterize Jesus but also His followers. Now there are certainly some radical Christians who seem to make Christianity a militant belief system, but most Christians could be characterized as loving, righteous and peaceful. That being the case, why is the Christian church today getting so much flack? I believe it is nothing more than a demonic attack on a Godly institution. Too many people are being deceived as to what the Christian church’s real purpose is. Our purpose is to shine light into the darkness (as we discussed yesterday). We are to bring hope to the despairing, peace to the troubled, forgiveness to the contrite, and love to all mankind.

As the Christian church, we should not be surprised at the persecution we face even though we bring a loving message. Jesus faced ridicule and ultimately was killed for his message. But like Him, we cannot become militant and play by the world’s rules. We must continue to love, serve, teach and proclaim that God loves the world so much that He sent His Son into the world to bring people righteousness and peace.

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.church