13And
suddenly
there was
with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14"Glory
to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
15So
it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing
that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us."
16And
they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a
manger.
Ahhhhh, Christmas; it's that time of year again.
Images of Christmas past become important; longings for family, parties, and
images of Christmas' "want-to-be's" flood our hearts and minds. This season is
all about hope. Hope for better times. Hope for love. Hope for peace. That
"peace on earth and good will toward men" stuff. At times, it seems like an
impossible dream, doesn't it? “Peace and good will” did not rule for the early
morning Wal-Mart shoppers who faced near riots to buy a few laptop computers
at cut rate prices.
Peace and good will doesn’t seem to be found in Iraq, Afghanistan, or in our
US Congress—where there are debates regarding who’s heroic or not, seemingly
based on party or issue affiliation; nor does peace and good will seem to be
the portion of those ravaged by hurricanes and earthquakes.
So are these words of Scripture some sort of unreachable taunting by the Lord?
No; it’s simply that we need to see things from God’s perspective. The Greek
word for "peace" in the above Scripture, according to Strong’s Exhaustive
Concordance, is “eirene (i-ray'-nay), probably from a primary verb
eiro (to join); peace (literal or figurative); by implication prosperity :-
one, peace, quietness, rest, + set at one again.”
Our Heavenly Father desires each to enjoy prosperity of SOUL, infused with
peace, quietness, and rest. But, HOW do you get that in your life? By entering
and enjoying a personal relationship with Jesus. HE is the great Christmas
gift. Your relationship with God comes by a gift of His grace—when you
understand that Jesus died for you, when you ask Jesus to forgive you, to come
into your heart, surrender to His will and ask Him to wash your sins away by
the priceless blood He shed for you on Calvary’s Cross. Jesus was beaten, He
died in your place, and He rose again--and He is praying for you right now.
It’s the assurance and joy of personal relationship with Jesus that brings
peace and quietness to your soul.
Notice the oft-quoted Christmas Scripture begins with praise—“Glory to God in
the highest” and then, “on earth peace, good will toward men.” Having a right
relationship with God is first; then the heart is tamed, the demands of the
selfish will and flesh are quieted and surrendered, and one is free to love
and have good will toward his fellow man.
Our world is changed one person, one life, one heart at a time. During the
rush of this special season, let's do our best to keep our priorities right
with God—walk with and enjoy Him daily and give His love away to others.
Truly, then we will experience “Peace on earth and good will toward men.”
If you have comments on this , write us at
kevinhunter@aol.com
and let us know. We invite you to come worship with Grace Christian Center at 10 on
Sunday mornings at 1770 Swansonville Road. Let us together enjoy the GRACE of
God.
