Peace, Love, and Understanding!
One song writer in the 70’s wrote a song called “What’s so funny about Peace, Love, and Understanding”. Now I don’t know anything about the song or the artist but I have always thought there was something in the title that is worth thinking about. Down through the ages many have had their own opinions about what it would take to bring peace to the world. Philosophers, politicians, celebrities, statesmen, you name it. The quotes are endless and I have to say most of them make a lot of sense.
Today is Christmas Day 2014. In just a few short hours, it will be over and we will work our way through the last few days of this year and into the start of another. I was chatting with a friend the other day and he stated that it seems that this year has flown by. I mentioned that it seemed that life has been on Fast Forward all year.
When the shepherds in that field in Luke 2, were met by a host of angels on that noted day, the message was Peace on earth, and good will toward men. God’s message to us has not changed. He still brings peace on earth. It is men who thoroughly foul things up and bring about discord, wars, strife, and all the things we see running so rampant in our world that are totally contrary to the peace of God.
The word peace is found at least 400 times in the Bible. Peace is a universally positive commodity. It is a good thing. It is something to be sought after. The message on that blessed night in that field in a land far from us, was the same message that Jesus gave to us in this scripture:
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
It is the kind of peace that comforts hearts. It takes away stress. It helps one to sleep at night. In a world of trouble, the Peace of God keeps us safe and sane. The Lord tells us that he came to give us peace. The Apostle Paul told the Philippians in Phil 4:7 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”.
We live in fear sometimes. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the uncertain, fear of what we don’t know and fear of what we DO know. The peace of God also addresses these times. 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
One thing I have learned beloved is that peace in my own heart is many times the product of my attitude toward my circumstances. There will always be people in this world we do not agree with. There will always be circumstances beyond our control. There will be things we do not like and things we do not understand. For me, how I make it through these times and circumstances is largely a product of my trust in God and my attitude towards the people or circumstances involved.
I also have found that I feel a lot better about things when i leave them in the hands of my Lord, and enjoy His peace. When I love those who disagree with me, my attitude toward them changes.I may still disagree with them but it is as a friend once said, “We can agree to disagree and still be friends!”.
I will leave you this beautiful Christmas Day 2014 with a few quotes from folks you probably know from our history, some recent some not so recent. All of these say a lot about peace that is worth reading.
”If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliche that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that’s his problem. Love and peace are eternal”- John Lennon
”Peace is the only battle worth waging” – Albert Camus
”Peace is not merely a distant goal we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal” – Martin Luther King Jr
”Peace is always beautiful” – Walt Whitman
”Peace cannot be kept by force, it can only be achieved by understanding” – Albert Einstein
”It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it” – Eleanor Roosevelt
”When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace” – Jimi Hendrix
”If you want peace, you don’t talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies” – Archbishop Tutu
”You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist” – Mahatma Gandhi
Luke 2:
13 And 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, good will toward men.
Merry Christmas Dear Ones!
Bro. Tommy
