December 25th, 2006
“Give Peas a Chance”
Wow. Christmas is gone. I don’t rush to scriptures about Jesus’ birth during the holiday. I tend to hear those plenty from others. It’s not a bad thing to hear them, I just don’t want to “over-kill” myself with those scriptures that my heart becomes weary of the Bible. So when I found my starting scripture, I then read it in context to find that it was in the birth of Christ, I found that a bit surprising.
Luke 2:8-20
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Verse 14 is the scripture in question. Peace. Give peace a chance. “Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God.” (Contemporary English Version) Glory to God in the highest, and on the earth peace among men with whom he is well pleased. (Bible in Basic English) “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!” (Good News Bible)
Peace on earth, but it is only to the people who please God who can get this peace, that much is for sure clear. The Greek word is eirēnē which means “a state of national tranquility free from the rage and havoc of war.” Is this the peace that the angels were talking about? Let’s try another definition. The Messiah’s peace that leads to the peace that salvation brings. Peace is a harmony and a concord between individuals. Could this be the peace the angels were talking about? I think this would be the peace.
Revelation 6:3-4
When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.
Revelation 9:20-21
The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
There are two categories I can be in: The first is the peace group. The second is the group who doesn’t have peace. The first is the repentant group. The second group doesn’t repent. The first has a love for God and others. The second has a love for themselves. The first is humble. The second is prideful. The first worships God. The second worships something else, like a house, money, or school/work.
1st Peter 3:8-12
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Now, what really confuses me about the scripture in 1st Peter is that it uses “seek” and “pursue” in the same sentence, but in a way that they should mean something else. I thought they meant the same thing.
Seek (verb):
“Give Peas a Chance”
Wow. Christmas is gone. I don’t rush to scriptures about Jesus’ birth during the holiday. I tend to hear those plenty from others. It’s not a bad thing to hear them, I just don’t want to “over-kill” myself with those scriptures that my heart becomes weary of the Bible. So when I found my starting scripture, I then read it in context to find that it was in the birth of Christ, I found that a bit surprising.
Luke 2:8-20
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Verse 14 is the scripture in question. Peace. Give peace a chance. “Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God.” (Contemporary English Version) Glory to God in the highest, and on the earth peace among men with whom he is well pleased. (Bible in Basic English) “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!” (Good News Bible)
Peace on earth, but it is only to the people who please God who can get this peace, that much is for sure clear. The Greek word is eirēnē which means “a state of national tranquility free from the rage and havoc of war.” Is this the peace that the angels were talking about? Let’s try another definition. The Messiah’s peace that leads to the peace that salvation brings. Peace is a harmony and a concord between individuals. Could this be the peace the angels were talking about? I think this would be the peace.
Revelation 6:3-4
When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.
Revelation 9:20-21
The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
There are two categories I can be in: The first is the peace group. The second is the group who doesn’t have peace. The first is the repentant group. The second group doesn’t repent. The first has a love for God and others. The second has a love for themselves. The first is humble. The second is prideful. The first worships God. The second worships something else, like a house, money, or school/work.
1st Peter 3:8-12
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Now, what really confuses me about the scripture in 1st Peter is that it uses “seek” and “pursue” in the same sentence, but in a way that they should mean something else. I thought they meant the same thing.
Seek (verb):
- To go in search or quest of
- To try to obtain
- To make a search or investigation
Pursue (verb):
- To follow close upon; go with; attend
- To follow in order to overtake
- To strive to gain; seek to attain or accomplish
- To proceed along the course of; follow
Now, I can see that I was a little off. They are close in meaning, yet so very different from each other. It’s like following Christ, I can think I am pursuing him, yet I really haven’t even sought him out. Have I sought out peace? Am I pursuing it? Does peace attend my character? Have I gained peace?
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!” To have peace, I have to have God pleased with me. To have the LORD pleased with me, I have to have repented and turned away from sin. Once I am pursuing a relationship with God and not the desires of the sinful nature, I will also be seeking and pursuing peace. “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!” Johnny Out.
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