Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Jesus: Counselor

-Roy Lessin, Jesus Name Above All Names

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...Counselor. -Isaiah 9:6 KJV

Isn't it good to know that Jesus is your Counselor? He is never too busy to see you. He is never late for an appointment. He is never in a rush to get you out of the office. You won't hear Him say, "You've come to the wrong place" or, "I cannot help you." Best of all, He doesn't charge by the hour!

What a joyous privilege we have to be able to freely go to the One who has all wisdom, knowledge, and understanding for the questions we have in life. He doesn't spend endless hours trying to figure you out and understand your problem. He knows your heart better than you do and knows exactly what you need. You can go to Jesus as your  Counselor knowing that He will always guide you in the right direction because He will always speak the truth. He will always know what you need to do, and He will always be right.

His purpose is to show you the way that will please your Heavenly Father. He will counsel you to think as He thinks, to feel as He feels, to walk as He walks, to love as He loves, and to live as He lives.
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©2011, 2020, Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow, all rights reserved. Photo by Marina Bromley.

Monday, September 28, 2020

Jesus: Wonderful

-Roy Lessin, Jesus Name Above All Names

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. -Isaiah 9:6 KJV

Wonderful name He bears,
Wonderful crown He wears,
Wonderful Calvary,
Wonderful grace for me,
Wonderful love of my wonderful Lord.
- Alfred H. Ackley

What Jesus does flows out of who He is. He cannot deny Himself. Every name He bears is an expression of His person. Because He is wonderful, wonderful things happen to those who put their trust in Him.

Jesus will keep everyone who trusts in Him at the edge of their seat, with mouths wide open in utter astonishment as He daily performs His wondrous works—wonders of mercy, grace, power, goodness, and love. His wonders cannot be duplicated because they go beyond man's capabilities, accomplishing what man is unable to accomplish, achieving what man is unable to achieve. Jesus Christ is wondrously, wonderfully, wonderful!


There is never a day so dreary,
There is never a night so long,
But the soul that is trusting in Jesus
Will somewhere find a song.
Wonderful, wonderful Jesus,
In the heart He implanteth a son;
A song of deliverance, of courage, of strength,
In the heart He implanteth a song.
-Anna B. Russell
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©2011, 2020 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow, all rights reserved.

Friday, September 25, 2020

Jesus: Immanuel, God With Us

-Roy Lessin, Jesus Name Above All Names

"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." -Matthew 1:23 NKJV

Immanuel means that God (deity) came to be with us (humanity). God did not come to us as an idea, a concept, a philosophy, or an ideal. He didn't come as the sun, the moon, or a star. He didn't come as a statue or an unapproachable being. He came to us as a man. He took on human flesh. Jesus Christ is completely God and completely man.

God with us—not in heaven, no out of touch or out of reach, not a phantom, not a shadow, not a legend or a myth, but God with us in grace, in truth, in mercy. God with us in human flesh—touchable, seeable, knowable. Love breathing, love giving, love caring, love dying. Walking where we walk, crying our tears, knowing our pain, feeling our grief, bearing our sorrows.


God with us—in the manger, in the temple, on the road, by the well, in the boat, upon the hillside, in the home, at the table; healing the sick, feeding the hungry, comforting those who mourn. God incarnate speaking to the multitude and seeking out the individual with arms extended, with words that beckon, with a voice that calls, "Come unto Me."

God with us—to seek, to worship, to love, to believe in, to follow, to proclaim, to cherish, forever! 
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©2011, 2020, Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. All rights reserved. 

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Jesus: The Lord

-Roy Lessin, Jesus Name Above All Names

They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." -Acts 16:31 NIV

The name "Lord" is an awesome name. It is a name that causes us to lift up our eyes and bend our knees, to raise our hands and humble our hearts, to celebrate with our voices and worship in our spirits with reverential awe. Jesus Christ is not just the Lord, but He is the Lord of lords. He is the Master of all there is and the Ruler of all that will be. He is in charge and He is in control. There is no one in the heavens above or in the earth beneath who can be His equal. 



When Jesus comes into a life as Lord, He doesn't come in to make suggestions, to plead His cause, to pamper and beg, to argue and debate, to manipulate and bargain, to push and persuade, to reason and debate, or to pamper and coddle; He comes into a life to take over.

When Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9), Saul didn't get into a debate with Jesus or let Jesus know His point of view. Saul knew without a doubt that Jesus was His Lord. He immediately surrendered his life to Jesus' control and asked for his marching orders. "What would you have me to do?" was his immediate response to the voice of the One who met him and called out his name.
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©2011, 2020 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow, all rights reserved.

Monday, September 21, 2020

Jesus: The Christ

And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. -Matthew 1:16 KJV

The name Christ means Messiah. Messiah means the Anointed One, the one sent by God to be the Savior. For centuries the Jewish people had known, through the promises God made to Abraham, Moses, and David, that the Messiah would come. The prophets also spoke of the Messiah's coming. Isaiah proclaimed, "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

The name Jesus Christ means that He is the Savior of all who believe; the promised Messiah, and the anointed Redeemer of Israel. As God so faithfully promised, He is the light that would reveal God's heart for the Gentiles and the glory of His people Israel. 

Jesus was sent by the God of Israel; He did not send Himself. Jesus was appointed by the God of Israel; He did not appoint Himself. Jesus was anointed by the God of Israel; He did not anoint Himself. No one had to tell Jesus why He was sent—He knew. He understood exactly why He had come. No explanation was needed. What's more, no motivation was needed as Jesus rejoiced in the plan to deliver mankind.

His place, His person, His position, His passion, His purpose, flowed out of the anointing He carried as Messiah, the one sent by God.

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©2011, 2020 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. All rights reserved.

Friday, September 18, 2020

Jesus: Savior

 -Roy Lessin, Jesus Name Above All Names

We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. -1 John 4:14 NKJV

Salvation means liberty from sin's bondage, forgiveness from sin's transgression, justification from sin's judgment, and life from sin's sentence of death. The celebration of salvation also means deliverance, aid, prosperity, health, help, and welfare.

In salvation we find everything that is good, but in sin we find everything that is bad. Salvation represents everything that is right; sin stands for everything that is wrong. Deception and lies are at the heart of sin, while truth and verity belong to salvation. 

Jesus was given the name Savior because He is the Savior. Salvation is not found in a ritual, a church, a creed, or in any good works that anyone can do no matter how sincere they may be. Salvation is in a person. God has only one Savior for the sinner and only one way to be saved. That way, that name, that person, is Jesus.

In the words of Bramwell Booth, "Yes, that is it! Christ the Savior! Not merely Christ the Helper of the poor, or Feeder of the hungry, or the Father of the prodigals, or the Comfort of the sorrowful; but Christ the Savior from condemnation and guilt, from stains and filth, from the love and power and presence of sin." 

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©2011, 2020 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow, all rights reserved.

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Jesus: Jesus

-Roy Lessin, Jesus Name Above All Names

Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name JESUS. -Luke 1:31 KJV

When the angel Gabriel came to Mary to tell her the incredible news of the life that would be formed in her, the angel also gave her the name of the child. The name was not her choice, nor the choice of Joseph, to whom she was promised. The name was God's choice.

God chose a name that could, in one single word, put a spotlight on the reason why God's son left heaven and came to earth. They were not told to call Him "Wise" even though He was the Wisdom of God; they were not told to call Him "Creator" even through by Him all things were created; they were not told to call Him "Warrior" even though He is the Captain of the heavenly host.

The earthly name God chose for His Son was Jesus. In Hebrew His name is Yeshua. Yeshua is a name that means salvation. It also means a celebration of all that salvation brings to us. Even though Jesus could help people, heal people, guide people, encourage people, and bless people, it would mean nothing if He could not save people from their sins. Jesus means a celebration of victory over the greatest problem men and women face: the problem of sin. It is a problem that only God could solve, and it is a problem that God did solve through His Son.

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©2011, 2020 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow, all rights reserved.

Monday, September 14, 2020

Jesus: Indescribable Gift

-Roy Lessin, Jesus Name Above All Names

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! -2 Corinthians 9:15 NKJV

God's indescribable gift is not peace or joy, although His indescribable gift brings peace and joy. His gift is a person. His gift is Jesus Christ. When we have Jesus, we have everything.

All that our hearts have ever desired—every need we face, every truth we seek, and every blessing we long for—is found in Jesus Christ. There is no other person, no other relationship, no other provision, and no other source that God will use to meet our deepest needs.

His glory outshines the sun. No other counsel can replace His wisdom, and nothing overshadows His greatness. And yet Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for all. In Him we see all that God wants to reveal to us, we walk in all that God has prepared for us, we experience all that God has planned for us, we receive all that God desires to give to us.

What a love! What a Savior! What a gift! May our hearts be open to receive Him, may our faith be ready to trust Him, may our wills be surrendered to obey Him, may our feet and hands be committed to follow Him, may our faces be anointed to reflect Him, may our actions and attitudes be righteous to honor Him, and may our voices be uplifted to praise Him—now and forever.

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©2011, 2020 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow, all rights reserved.

Friday, September 11, 2020

Jesus: Redeemer

-Roy Lessin, Jesus Name Above All Names

Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father. -John 10:17-18 NKJV

Who sent Jesus to the cross? Was it the Jewish leaders? Was it a mob? Was it the Roman government? None of these were powerful enough, influential enough, or persuasive enough to be able to do it. When He spoke to Pilate, Jesus reminded him that he had no power to crucify Him even though Pilate, as the Roman ruler, thought he did. When the disciples tried to keep Jesus from being arrested, He reminded them that if He wanted to escape the cross He could call a multitude of angels to come and rescue Him.

The One who sent Jesus to the cross was God the Father. The cross was the reason God sent His Son into the world. It was the will of Jesus to embrace the Father's will. Jesus said that it was for this reason that He came. It pleased the Father to bruise Him (Isaiah 53:10), and it brought joy to the Son to please the Father. It was in the heart of Jesus to redeem a people who would live for the glory of His Father.

His resurrection is our victory song, our shout of joy, our daily praise, and our eternal hope. Because He lives, we shall live also. He has promised it. He has guaranteed it. He has secured it. Jesus is our life, and heaven is our home.

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©2011, 2020 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Jesus: Servant

-Roy Lessin, Jesus Name Above All Names

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
 -2 Corinthians 8:9 NKJV

Imagine a large room filled with people. Each person in the room has great needs and is looking to the others to help fill those needs. Each person thinks "Here I am. I have arrived. I have many needs. I am expecting each of you to do your very best to make me happy, and if you want me to love you, you must give me a reason to love you." That is how all of us have lived our lives. We did not live to serve, but to be served.

When Jesus came to us, He was like a man who entered a room full of needy people. However, Jesus said, "There you are. How may I serve you? You do not have to give Me a reason to love you, for I love you unconditionally. I hold nothing back from you. I give you My all, willingly, happily, freely."

The greatest change takes place within us when God's heart touches our hearts and we become extensions and expressions of His love to others. It is only from the heart of Jesus that we are able to esteem others better than ourselves, love others as ourselves, and honor others instead of ourselves.

Today it is Jesus' desire to put His love within your heart and cause you to ascend to the heights of His love by having you stoop to serve others for His sake.

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©2011, 2020 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow, all rights reserved.

Monday, September 7, 2020

Jesus: Intercessor and High Priest

Roy Lessin, Jesus Name Above All Names

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. -Hebrews 4:14-15 NJKV

Jesus lived prayer and taught prayer. He prayed at different times and for various amounts of time. He prayed in secret and He prayed in public. He prayed about personal matters and matters concerning others. He prayed for His friends and for His enemies. he prayed as a man dependent upon His Father, seeking to please Him and glorify Him in all things.

Through prayer, He drew near to His Father so that He could draw us nearer to His heart. He knelt in humility so that He could raise us up to new heights. He poured out His soul so that He could comfort us in every sorrow. As our High Priest, He prayed for our unity, our sanctification, our joy, our love, our keeping, our ministry, and our future purpose.

Today, Jesus as your High Priest is praying for you. Think of it as you get up in the morning, as you go through your day, as you face your enemies, as you walk through your problems, as you return to your home, and as you rest in your bed—Jesus, the One who knows you best and loves you most, is praying for you.

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©2011, 2020 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. All rights reserved.

Friday, September 4, 2020

Jesus: Provider

-Roy Lessin, Jesus Name Above All Names

My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 NKJV

From the beginning, it has been in the heart of God to meet the needs of people. One of God's names is "The Lord Provides." He provides because He cares, because He loves, and because He is faithful.

Redemption was God's plan to meet our greatest needs—the need to be saved, to be forgiven, to fulfill God's purpose for our lives, and to be brought back into fellowship with Him. God is also concerned about meeting our personal, physical, and practical needs as well as our spiritual needs.

When Jesus lived among us, He clearly taught and expressed what was in the heart of His Father. Jesus told us that when we see Him—His actions, His attitudes, His acts—we have seen the Father.



Jesus wants us to know that when we face a problem we don't need to reason it out—let Him work it out. He helps us to understand that there are no limits with God and no limitations to His power. Jesus works in ways that will build our faith, increase our trust, and strengthen our confidence in Him. He wants us to live a life free of worry and anxiety, fear and doubt, confusion and uncertainty. He wants us to be contented, totally resting within the arms of His loving care.
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©2011, 2020 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow, all rights reserved.

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Jesus: The Word

The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. -John 1:14 KJV

It has been said that the New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed, and that in the New Testament the Old Testament is revealed. In the Old we see the beginning of all things; in the New we see the end of all things. In the Old we see types and shadows; in the New we see substance and fulfillment. In the Old we see Mt. Sinai; in the New we see Mt. Calvary. In the Old we see the letter of the law; in the New we see the Spirit of grace.



The voice of the prophets speaks in the Old while in the New we hear the voice of the Son. Together, the books tell one story. It is the story of redemption revealed in time and space, through real people and actual events. It is His story—the story of the Redeemer and the redeemed.

Jesus established the law and fulfilled the Law. He is the message of prophecy and the fulfillment of prophecy, the promised sin-bearer and the One who gave His life for our sins. In Jesus Christ the Old and New Testaments are like two musical movements that come together to make one glorious symphony, like the two lenses on a pair of binoculars that bring the image close and into focus, like the flame of two burning candles that come together to make one glorious light.

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©2011, 2020 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. All rights reserved.