The Wonderful Counselor

The Wonderful Counselor TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor… Isaiah 9:6, NIV. TODAY'S WORD: Do you need wisdom or direction in your life today? The scripture tells us that Jesus is our Counselor. And He’s not just any kind of Counselor, He’s a Wonderful Counselor. When something is wonderful, it means it is unusually good, marvelous or astonishing. Think about that for a moment. God is a marvelous, astonishing, unusually good Counselor—the very best you could ever have! Today, no matter what you may be facing, no matter what kinds of decisions you have to make, consider God. Ask Him to direct your steps and confirm His perfect will for your life. Remember, He is the best counselor there is. Let Him direct and guide your path. Seek Him with your whole heart, put Him first, and let Him lead you in blessing and victory in every area of your life. PRAYER FOR TODAY: Father in heaven, You are my Wonderful Counselor. I submit all my ways to You. I trust that You have a good plan for me. Thank You for giving me wisdom and direction in every area of my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Do Less This Christmas   by Rick Warren "Dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42 NLT) You and I love to overcrowd our lives. We overbook, overspend, overestimate, and we often walk around tired all the time. As a result, God's truth often doesn't get the chance to blossom in our lives. Too often God teaches you a kernel of truth — maybe through your morning Bible study or a Sunday sermon — and you think you need to do something about it, but almost immediately it’s crowded out of your life and forgotten. The truth isn’t crowded out of your life because of evil. Often, good things in our lives crowd out the truth that God wants to plant in us. To fulfill God’s destiny for your life, you likely don’t have to do more; you have to do less. Take Jesus’ friends Mary and Martha for example. One day they invited Jesus over for dinner.  Mary spent her evening listening to Jesus. Martha, on the other hand, was busy being a hostess and worrying about the hors d'oeuvres and whether everything was in its place. Martha got upset that she had to do all the work while her sister got to sit with Jesus. That’s when Jesus said to her: "Dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:41-42 NLT). When your life is over, only one thing will really matter: Did you get to know the Son of God? The extra Christmas presents you were able to buy because of your long hours at the office won’t matter. All the time you spent preparing the perfect holiday meal won't matter either. But whether you spent your time getting to know Jesus will matter for ages and ages to come. So enjoy the Christmas season. Wrap the presents. Prepare your home in a festive way. Make memories with your family. But don't let this Christmas pass without spending some time at Jesus' feet. Long after everything else fades from this Christmas, worshiping Jesus is all that will truly last. Talk It Over What are some areas of your life you’ve let compete with your relationship with God? Why do you think we often drift away from Mary’s devotion and toward Martha’s over-insistence on inconsequential activity? How can you build time into your Christmas schedule to spend with Jesus?