Jesus, Prince of Peace

Jesus, Prince of Peace A Christmas Poem for All Seasons Mild, He arrives, surveying the scene, With glory, not grandeur or even a shout, It isn't pretty what His watching eye sees, Conflicts multiplied within and without. People playing God without any shame, From West to North to South to East, Fingers pointing while people proclaim, 'Peace, peace' when there is no peace. Slaughtering innocents without a care, Unrest preceding from bad to worse, Weeping while knowing that life isnt fair, Expected from those still under the Curse. The floodgates of heaven open once more, We must remember who tend to forget, He gave a blessing to counteract sin, He died to pay another man's debt. Peace so elusive and hard to attain, Fully floods the souls of all who recieve, The Truth that sets all captives free, The Way of Life that you must believe. The only Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Most awesome Father of Eternity, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Fully functioning Prince of Peace. Written by Michael W. Sciarra, 12/18/2012. Note: This peace from God through our Lord Jesus Christ isn't automatic. It is very rare. It is a gift from God. It only comes to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ; those who are only saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for God's glory alone. "Believe in The Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31). We who believe can say we confident assurance that He Himself is our Peace.

Clothed with Power

God clothes with power those He calls to Himself. It's what He does, for His glory and other's good. He promised Mary that she would experience His power (Luke 1:35). Jesus promised His disciples that they would receive power (Acts 1:8). Paul often spoke of God's power at work in believers (Eph. 3:16; Col. 1:29; Phil. 2:13). We need power to live. We who believe acknowledge and experience God's power. And we also see humans taking power for granted. Not until we do not have it do we realize how important it is. I experienced three notable power outages in the past few months. The first was in Washington, D.C. Brought on by a storm, it affected millions throughout the area and across the state of Virginia. The second was in the Knoxville, Tennessee area. My in-laws' home had the power knocked out for three long days. We were refugees in a familiar place. The third was a few days after Thanksgiving while traveling in central California. Our hotel had a power outage and no backup generator. Needless to say, in all three instances we lacked power and could do little to help ourselves. Powerlessness is an unsettling proposition. One we want to get out of. No sane person wants to be without power. We might experience it relationally, economically, or socially; but no matter the realm it is a weak position to be in. In the spiritual realm probably more than any other we feel our lack of power keenly. We need another. We need Almigty God. Which is why Jesus being called Mighty God is such a comforting thing. He is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or think. And He is at work in believers to will and do His good pleasure. He will clothe you who come to Him by grace alone, through fsith alone, in Christ alone, with power from on high. I encourage you to not shrink back in powerless defeat, but move forward in triumphant resurrection power, knowing the Powerful One is with you. He brings order out of chaos.

Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor

Jesus is the answer to all our problems. One of our number one problems? Confusion (ie not knowing what to do, a lack of wisdom). In addition to the general chaos/conundrums brought on by sin, the complexities/conspiracies real and imagined, and the various conflicts we engage in, we are generally confused people. Many live in a state of constant confusion. Not knowing what they should do, how they should respond, like a deer in the headlights, like a mouse in a maze, like guys with instruction manuals written only in French and German, they think they know what to do, but eventually realize, they just don't know what to do. Enter Jesus, the Savior. Who's been there all a long if we would just open our eyes. Like clouds parting, fog lifting to reveal a majestic mountain peak. Like a clear, cool spring of water to a parched soul, Jesus answers our need. Jesus the Wonderful Counselor reveals truth we need. We are often confused, but Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor, who tells us not what we want to hear, but what we need to hear, so that we might follow Him fully.