Good morning to all. I hope we find His Counsel in all we do this day. To Him be the Glory! Isaiah 9: 6 (NKJV)
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Matthew 7: 24-29 (NKJV)
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
In the English dictionary, counselor is primarily defined as “a person who gives counsel; adviser”. When I looked at several commentaries on how counselor is used in Isaiah they used words such as “counseling in the purposes & plan {of God}”… “for He not only knows the right and proper counsel in every difficulty of body and soul, He also carries out His plans for the benefit of men”…but I think that how Pastor interpreted counselor in this context...hope I got this right…”pours forth choice” really caught my attention, and I’ll tell you why in a moment…
Let’s move on to Matthew, where chapter 7 is ending with the parable about two men and their choice of construction for their houses.
Right away, Jesus gives us counsel…not just ordinary words of advice, or spoken like a polished orator, or as from the scribes…but words spoken with authority..divine counsel. Words that not only hold truth in them…but are truth. Words that that ring out in forthrightness and hope…“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock..”
I find it interesting, that Jesus doesn’t make any distinction between the wise man’s house or the foolish man’s house…size, the type of exterior or roof…except for the foundation, and where it is placed. He doesn’t even distinguish between the impending storms…they just come. So, how is the construction of our house?...we’ve heard the Word..we say the words and sing the songs recognizing Christ as our foundation..the cornerstone…but how’s our “does them”…what type soil are our lives placed on?..how are we weathering the storms in our lives?...how are we choosing to use His wise counsel in our lives?.and this is where my story picks up…
I don’t know that Jim really “gets it” in regard to Jesus’ counsel. This is a hard one for me. You see, to receive counsel, one must be willing to not only listen but to put things into action…to live life on purpose!..to be receptive and willing to change paths…make decisions and choices founded in Him…not just every so often…but on a daily moment by moment basis. But that would take relinquishing “my” control and the prideful acknowledgement that I seek in “look at what I’ve done”. As for me, at the core of this, though…it’s all about the relationship…trust, obedience, faith…Jim not holding on so tight…Jim believing in the hope and faith that our ever loving and wise Counselor sends our way…continuously and faithfully…that’s why he came..for us…and in that, Pastors’ words from Sunday ring oh so true…Do not think that we’re in a place where no Counsel will work in this place at this time….Nevertheless, be amazed at Christmastime!
Blessings to you and yours!
jim