Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord—

I started to write on verses 2-5, but decided verse 2 gave enough of the thrust of what I was getting from this. It frequently comes to me, when I read prophecies and descriptions of the Messiah, that all these passages are talking not only about Christ Himself, but about all who will believe and abide in Him. Jesus said so very clearly: “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12) Other than sinless perfection and substitutionary atonement, everything that describes Jesus should describe me, if I am fully submitted to and abiding in Him. That’s a real mind-blower! The Bible is clear that the Holy Spirit is available to every believer, and that fact is one of the major themes of the New Testament. This verse is perhaps the clearest on that theme in the whole Old Testament, so we really need to take it to heart. It should not be strange when Christians act like Jesus, it should be an everyday occurrence. Those who are in Christ don’t necessarily have a high IQ, but they know more of God than any atheistic university professor. They don’t necessarily have what the world would call a particular “skill set,” but they are able to decide what is right and do it. That is a far better resume than the majority of government officials, not to mention “captains of industry” and the like. They probably don’t have so much of this world’s goods, much less recognition (though there are exceptions) but it isn’t an issue for them, because they know what is really important. On this earth we don’t have sinless perfection, but this is the lifestyle that is made available to everyone who will fear God and repent of their rebellion and unbelief, abiding in Christ in all humility and joy.

Wow! I don’t know that I’ve ever written a clearer description of the life to which I aspire, the life that I know God desires for me. I am at times painfully aware of how I fall short of that, simply because I depend on myself instead of on God. It’s obvious that I can’t do it apart from Him, but that should go without saying, because this is describing life in Christ. I cannot stay in Him 24/7 on my own, but He is able to keep me, and I’ve got to keep that as my focus. This month is one of great pressure, ironically because of Christianity. I am to let the pressure force me more and more into the mold of Christ, transforming me from what I have been to what He is, because that is what I am in Him. My body is going to be busy, but if my heart is fixed on Him, I can be at rest and peace in Him whatever is going on around me, so that He may shine through me for His glory.

Father, thank You for expressing this so very clearly. Help me walk it out in moment-by-moment faithfulness, so that all Your purposes for me may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!