Let Me Introduce You...

I used to love it when my wife would come to visit me during my 20 years combined stint with Hewlett Packard and later their spin-off company Agilent Technologies.  I would get a call from the guard at the lobby from which she entered the building, and they would let me know that I had a visitor.  And it was a sure-thing every time.  By the time I made it down to either of the two public lobbies, she and the guard would have big smiles on their faces and be talking like they were old buddies!  She had an uncanny way to make anyone relax and feel special around her.

The real pleasure for me though, would come when we made it over to my work area and I would get to introduce her to all the folks working in my department within the fabrication area.  I guess that I used to talk about her a lot, for when my team would meet her in person, they acted like they had known her for years!  They knew that I was crazy about her and most likely wanted to meet the women that made their supervisor smile so much!

And so, with that personal example in mind… I want to introduce you to a special friend this Christmas…

As I have been studying (and writing about) the gift of God’s PEACE that He gave to us, it only seemed logical that I would be led to turn back in the Old Testament, to a well-known prophecy that foretold of the coming of a special child of Whom is the reason of the Christmas Season that we are celebrating this month.  The prophet Isaiah brought hope to the about-to-be-taken-under-siege inhabitants of Judah, some 700 years before the actual event was to take place, by introducing them to a coming Savior, by announcing in Isaiah 9:6,

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of PEACE.” (KJV)

Now I know that you’re probably thinking… “What’s he talking about?  I already know about Jesus.  What is Pastor Jim trying to pull here?”

Well… I want to introduce you to a new side of Jesus.  A revelation that some of you may not have considered before!  And I discovered this personality as I read Isaiah 9:6 from the modern paraphrase Message Bible where the translator/writer of this edition, Eugene H. Peterson, properly captured the ancient Hebrew meaning of the word PEACE (Shalom) by accurately stating the names of Jesus, writing that,

“His names will be: Amazing Counselor, Strong God, Eternal Father, Prince of WHOLENESS.”  (Shalom)

So… Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, allow me to introduce you to:

Jesus, “THE PRINCE OF WHOLENESS!”

The Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries (FIRM) reports that,

“The root word of Shalom is ‘shalam’… and that the ancient Hebrew meaning of shalam was ‘to make something whole’. Not just regarding practical restoration of things that were lost or stolen. But with an overall sense of fulness and completeness in mind, body and estate.”*

The Oxford Online Dictionaries informs us that the legal word “estate” refers to “All the money and property owned by a particular person.”

You know… It is very much like the folks I worked with who already knew about Piper, but got to know her in a deeper way when she came in person to my place of work.  Most of us already know Jesus (or at least about Him)… but there is always a deeper revelation to learn and then put into practical application in our lives.  If you’re anything like me… a greater revelation of Jesus only works to make me hungry for more of His promises and goodness in my life.

And like the title of my blog… It definitely makes me want to EXPECT more of God in my daily activities and then empower me to be a greater blessing to those around me!  I want my entire life to be WHOLE… physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally as well as financially… DON’T YOU?

I’m EXCITED… AREN’T YOU?  There is always more of Jesus to be known and activated in each of our personal lives.  I pray that each of you will join me in introducing JESUS, THE PRINCE OF WHOLENESS to everyone around us during (and after) this wonderful holiday season!

After all… He IS the reason for the season!

 

*https://firmisrael.org/learn/the-meaning-of-shalom/