The Bible offers us dozens of names for Jesus.  Isaiah 9:6-7 offers us four of them.  Let's look at the first one:  And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor.  Some English translations make this one name of Jesus two.  Instead of Wonderful Counselor.  It is Wonderful, Counselor.  No matter how we translate it, the idea comes across:  Jesus is amazing!

A wonderful counselor, in human terms, would give us sound advice concerning matters of the world.  Jesus does that, but He is also the best counselor in every arena of life, particularly the spiritual realm.  I don't like "slicing" our lives up into different pieces:  work life, study life, spiritual life, family life, recreational life, etc... When we do that, we tend to make the spiritual component of our lives one small part that we can carry out on Sunday mornings and with a fifteen minute devotional time the other days of the week.  The reality is Jesus, as Wonderful Counselor, is available to us 24/7, and His desire is that His influence in our lives will be just that--24/7.

When you woke up this morning, did you think of Jesus?  Did you turn to Him for counsel in any area of your life--or for EVERY area of your life?  If we want to grow as Jesus' followers, we need to become more and more aware of our need for Jesus' counsel.  I find that in the big matters of life, and often particularly in what most of us would call the small matters, I need Jesus' counsel.  The more we turn to Him, the more effective our lives become in every area.  Take a moment and consider what area or areas of your life have you not yet turned over to Jesus?  Be thorough and as each area comes to mind, pause and consciously give control of that area to Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor.  Then, and only then will you and I be able to live victorious lives, and lives that are a blessing to others.

Let's pray:  Heavenly Father, Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Wonderful Counselor!  Fill us with the Holy Spirit that we may be humble enough to receive His counsel in every area of our lives, and that we may live boldly for Him.  This we pray in Jesus' name.  Amen.