Welcome to Day 153 of the “Manna for the Mind” devotional! This series is about finding nourishment in the Word of God to get us through the day. In each devotional, I take a variety of scripture passages (typically 1-3 verses each) and build our understanding of what they teach via their context and connecting scripture. My goal is to help you understand how to be the type of human God created you to be.

Today’s passage is Isaiah 9:6. We’re learning about the different titles of Jesus.

Isaiah 9:6

NASB	NLT	VOICE
6 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.	6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.	6 Hope of all hopes, dream of our dreams, a child is born, sweet-breathed; a son is given to us: a living gift. And even now, with tiny features and dewy hair, He is great. The power of leadership, and the weight of authority, will rest on His shoulders. His name? His name we’ll know in many ways – He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Dear Feather everlasting, ever-present never-failing, Master of Wholeness, Prince of Peace.

The future Messiah will provide the ultimate advice, the divine power, the life-long parent, and the source of peace. Our governing system will run on the source of the wisdom and knowledge of this young baby.

Deuteronomy 10:17

NASB	NLT	VOICE
17 For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great the mighty, and the awesome God, who does not show partiality, nor take a bribe.	17 “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed.	17 because the Eternal your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great and mighty and amazing God! He doesn’t favor the powerful, and He can’t be bribed.

In saying that the Lord is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, Moses distinguished the true God from all the local gods worshiped throughout the land. There was Ba’al (a Canaanite storm god), Asherah (a mother goddess figure of the sea), Ashtaroth, Molech, and Chemosh (another ancient deity worshiped in ancient Israel.) Moses is saying that Yahweh is the supreme god over all those Gods. Moses also called God “mighty and awesome.” God creates such a presence with his power and justice that people cannot directly stand in it without his mercy. I do not know much about the other gods mentioned, but this is a unique feature of God. No one could see God directly; they could only see the back of his head. We can now go directly into God’s presence through the sacrifice of the baby (a weird combination of words) that purified us and made us right with God.

Fortunately, God’s mercy (his ultimate forgiveness) towards his chosen is unlimited. When we begin to grasp the extent of God’s mercy towards us, we see what true love is and how deeply God loves us. Although our sins deserve proper judgment, God has chosen to show love and mercy to all seeking him. We need to reflect that love and mercy to the world. God’s ultimate love teaches us to have compassion and respect for God’s creation. God’s ultimate mercy teaches us to forgive our fellow creation. Paul teaches that our battles in this world aren’t against creation but against evil spirits and ideals of this world that teach us the opposite of compassion and mercy.

Isaiah 26:3

NASB	NLT	VOICE
3 The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You.	3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!	3 You will keep the peace, a perfect peace, for all who trust in You, for those who dedicate their hearts to you.

We can never avoid chaos in the world around us; when we fix our thoughts on God, we can experience perfect peace within the chaos. As we focus our minds on God and keep his Word close to our hearts, we will find more stability and steadiness. Supported by God’s grace and sovereignty, we are not shaken by the surrounding chaos. Jesus told us the same thing. The peace that he came to give us isn’t a piece that we ever knew before. We often think of peace as the absence of chaos. Still, Jesus teaches us to remain peaceful (steady and stable) within the chaos.

Matthew 28:18

NASB	NLT	VOICE
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”	18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.”	18 Jesus came forward and addressed His beloved disciples. JESUS: I am here speaking with all the authority of God, who has commanded Me to give you this commission:

God gave Jesus authority over heaven and earth. The basis of that authority, Jesus told his disciples as they preached, baptized, and taught. With the same authority, Jesus commands us to tell others the Good News and make them disciples of the Kingdom. The authority Jesus gave to the disciples is the same one we receive. We are called to share the Good News with those in our community. The same principles Jesus taught to the disciples are what we’re supposed to receive through our own teachings of the Gospel. Take those teachings and share them with the community around you when appropriate.

BREATHE IN: The baby has…

BREATHE OUT: …the ultimate authority.

Until next time, stay blessed!