Christmas Devotion (Day 2) - Wonderful Counselor

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.   And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  
-- Isaiah 9:6

A counselor is someone you go to when you have problems and need to talk about them, hopefully gaining a solution from the counselor. While there are many counselors in this world, none of them can give true wisdom and help all the time...except Jesus. The reason...He has the wisdom of God, our Creator. Isaiah 11:2 says: And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
He is also the best counselor because unlike any other person in your life, including your Dad and Mom, Jesus knows you better than you know yourself. How certain you and I are that we know ourselves and what is going on with us. But how can we know ourselves better than the One who made us? How can we know ourselves better than the One who knows all things?
The Bible says in Psalm 139:1-4 “You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thoughts from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all.”
Because Jesus knows all things and knows us better than anyone else, He then has the real solutions for our problems and this makes Him a wonderful counselor. We can gain His counsel by reading the Bible and praying to Him every day.

For Discussion: What are the character qualities of a Counselor: (Close to us--accessible, confidential--we can take our intimate matters to him, compassionate, cognizant--of our needs, capable, communication--we communicate to Christ in prayer but how does He communicate with us?)

Songs: Angels from the Realms of Glory and Still Her Little Child by Ray Boltz

Ornaments: http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/…/Bible…/NamesJesus1.pdf

Craft:  You and your child may wish to begin a book of good advice.  Pay particular attention to short verses from such books of the Bible such as Proverbs and the letters of Paul.  Your child may wish to illustrate the book or you may wish to use those particular verses as handwriting exercises.

Service Project Idea:  Older children may wish to volunteer their time at a shelter or counseling center.  Younger children might make arrangements to deliver a donation to a shelter or counseling center.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, thank you so much for all of the good advice and wise counsel that you have in the Bible.  Help me to remember to read my Bible daily so that I can learn all that you want me to learn and avoid being foolish. In Jesus' name, Amen.