August 12, 2004

WONDERFUL

"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" (Isaiah 9:6, NKJV).

This one-word title says it all about Jesus. As used by Isaiah, the word Wonderful, is one of the names of the coming Messiah.

In Isaiah 9:6 there is a remarkable cluster of five titles that the prophet ascribes to the Messiah. Topping that list is the title, "Wonderful." Everything about Jesus is wonderful. Think of the wonder of His birth--God incarnate in the womb of a virgin; conceived in a human mother without a human father (see Luke 1:31, 35). Think of the wonder of His person--the mysterious combination of deity and humanity in one integrated person (see 1 Timothy 3:16).

Think of the uniqueness of Christ's sublime teachings. "No man ever spoke like this Man!" (John 7:46, NKJV). Herbert Lockyer wrote, "No scholar, sage, or philosopher has ever appeared who taught as Jesus did."--The Divine Names and Titles in the Bible, p. 269. Jesus alone could say with authority. "The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life" (John 6:63, NIV).

Jesus is the incomparable miracle worker who exercised power over the devil and demons, over disease and death. He mastered the forces of nature and ordered the tempest to be still--and it obeyed! Then there is the wonder of His vicarious death, resurrection, and ascension. Christ's transforming power on human life in all ages is irrefutable proof that He is "Wonderful!" "He is the wonderful Counselor, infinite in wisdom and strength; and if we will acknowledge the power of His Spirit, and submit to be molded by it, we shall stand complete in Him."--Our High Calling, p. 152.

My Prayer Today: Lord, because You have given me this wonderful salvation, help me to live and proclaim it to others. Amen.