ChrisTime 2010: Day One

Counsellor.

In my Bible, Jesus's words are printed in red. They stand out on the page, immediately pointing me to His teachings.

I need that.

The pure, unadulterated words of my Saviour.

Because this world is overloaded with books that talk about Jesus; about how to draw closer to Him, how to be more like Him.

Some of them certainly have their place.

But others? For all their sincere intentions? Noise. Distraction.

A couple of Bible verses followed by verbose prose full of anectodes and "life application".

When did the the Word of God stop being enough? When did we swap Jesus Himself for man's interpretation?

Maybe I'm particularly harsh about this because I know what it is to be sucked into a crazy whirlwind of "Christian" self-help.

At one point I owned every volume on managing my emotions that I could find. I had relationship books by authors of every culture. Whenever I felt down, instead of turning to the Word I'd choose a brightly-coloured volume laden with peppy me-me-me slogans. Or something soothing in pastel shades that equally encouraged me to look inwards.

The result? Was self-obsession. And pure confusion.

Because books are fallible. Not God-breathed. Not divinely inspired by the very One who knitted me into existence. To make them our source of counsel? Is futile.

Seeking out self-help instead of God-truth left me dependent on man. When something went wrong, I would immediately turn to my beloved or a sister. I craved analysis, explanation, sympathy. Pure distilled truth? Not tangible enough. Comforting enough. I wanted to feel a hug, to hear a voice.

But it never worked. There may have been temporary happiness, but there was never lasting joy. I longed to be more like Jesus but ended up feeling more fleshly than ever.

Man cannot do what Jesus alone can. Praise God for revelation.

"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." Isaiah 9:6, emphasis mine.

Jesus is my counsellor. I can come to Him at any time; pour out my troubles to Him in prayer and thanksgiving. He hears me and comforts me. He points me in the right way. He encourages me to look upwards and outwards; to place no trust in my feelings.

Prayer and reading of the Word brings joy, peace. It teaches patient trust. And it increases faith.
I am still a tangible person. I still feel deeply. But I strive to seek my Counsellor above all others, even those dear to my heart.
Jesus is my counsellor. I am remembering this this Christmas time.