ISAIAH 11:1-2

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—

TO PONDER

Again we see that God had a plan in place well before the birth of Jesus. God knew how it would come about, who would be involved and had the whole thing planned right from the very beginning.

What is confronting in this particular prophetic word from Isaiah concerning the Messiah is how the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him. This is confronting because the apostle Paul in Romans 8 says, "the Spirit of Him who raised Christ from the dead is now living in you." Just think about that for a moment. Not only does the Holy Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead, the same Holy Spirit that conceived the physical human form of Jesus in Mary's womb, now live in you and bring you new life, he also brings wisdom and understanding, counsel and power, knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Because Jesus came and restored our relationship with God, we too are able to have the Spirit of God rest on us, guide us and lead us, just as God always intended. That's the life that was lost to sin but has been restored because of God's pre-planned adventure to restore what had been lost.

So think about that this week. How is your new life in Christ marked by the wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, and faith, which the Holy Spirit brings to those who are in Christ Jesus?

PRAYER: Holy Spirit, come and rest on me today. Help me and guide me in your ways. Renew and transform my life so that I may be an effective part of God's plan to bring His restoration to all things, in Jesus name, Amen.

Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle