December 25, 2012

  • Peace on Earth, Good Will to All Mankind

     

    MM1

    "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God." - Jesus Christ

    Some people do not desire peace. If they are not making trouble for others, then they are not happy. To them the laws of men and the laws of God are meaningless. These people let their selfishness be their guide, and if someone gets hurt or killed, well, they don't care about that. The only love they have is the love for self, and their only goal is self-preservation.

    MM2

    The Asian concept of "heaven" is somewhat different from the Christian standpoint. Heaven is a perfect measure of peace, harmony, balance. To have these three things is a sign that one is living under the mandate of heaven. If there is strife, conflict, turmoil, then it is a sign that the mandate of heaven has been lost and that changes in leadership need to be made to restore them. If one looks at the US, one could say from the Asian point of view that the mandate of heaven is no longer to be found and that there needs to be changes made to bring the US back to a place where it is peaceful once again. The wars the US has fought with Predator drones has it out of harmony with world peace, and there is no balance among the nations, of which the US is not completely at fault. Every nation chooses the path it will go. Some seek peace. Others desire war. This planet, due to no fault of its own, has lost the mandate of heaven. The human race is to blame for it, and not just one people or country or race or religion or whatever. It is unfortunate that wicked men have access to weapons and use them to destroy the innocent and the law-abiding who seek to live peacefully among their neighbors. The same wicked men would disarm the righteous if they could, for when the righteous stand against them, judgment comes for those who embrace evil as a way of life.

    MM3

    The war I wage against self is more desperate than any battle fought by the armies of men. I know the evil I am capable of, and it is not a side of me with which I am comfortable. As a Christian, I know the standard I am called to live by, found in the grace of God and His immutable law given life in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Where once the Ten Commandments were written on tables of stone, I know that my God seeks to write His law on my heart, where they may be brought to life in loving obedience to Him and to the human race. There is evil in me, I know. But dwelling along this evil nature is a nature that reflects the character of my heavenly Father. For that character to thrive, I must continually defeat that side of me that is out of balance with, out of harmony with the nature of the universe where God's peace abounds eternally.

    I believe that what I say is true of every person. Because I am like them, I have no right to dishonestly judge them, but I do have the right to share in their struggles and offer encouragement that they, too, can overcome the world.

    Unfortunately, there are men who seek not to live in peace with others and who let hate be their guide. They care nothing for God, for others, and in the end they care nothing for themselves, either. They have no peace within themselves, and in their self-destruction, they too readily are willing to take others out with them. "Suicide by cop" has become a recent phenomena. Other suicidal people have gone on shooting sprees wanting others to die, so that the one seeking death does not die alone. Because of my religious convictions, I know that no one needs to kill themselves. Not everyone shares my convictions. Not everyone believes that life in all its forms is worthy to be celebrated because of the God who gives it. It is unfortunate that there are times when weapons that are despised by heaven become the only tools available by which peace, balance and harmony among people can be restored. I am thankful that one day I will share in a world recreated by my God in which no weapons will ever be found necessary to use. No more death. No more graves. No more sorrow.

    The only way to get there is through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.