“Peace on Earth”   It doesn’t look like this universal desire will come true again this year.  It would seem there has never been a time when the earth was as full of greed, hatred and distrust.  One crisis follows another.

Were the angels mistaken when they announced that the birth of Christ would bring Peace on Earth?  The centuries since that time have been an endless series of even more violent wars.   Was God wrong?  Were the angels misled?  Of course not.  The peace of which the angels sang was of a totally different nature than the abolishment of war on earth.  The peace Jesus brought is the reconciling of God to Man.

Mankind is now, by nature at odds with God and cannot find its way back to a meaningful relationship with God on its own.  That’s why human schemes are doomed to fail and wars and social ills will always be with us.  Originally man gave glory to God and walked in a way pleasing to Him.  But sin disrupted this perfect harmony and necessitated God’s Son to make a way of return…to bring peace.  Jesus truly can be called the “Prince of Peace” because He brings peace to those who come to Him.  God’s peace program required that satisfaction be made for the sins of rebellious men.  This Jesus did by His birth and eventual death on the cross.  “Having made peace through the blood of this cross… you that were enemies…hath He reconciled.”  (Col. 1:20-21)

When a person becomes a child of God and follows Jesus as Lord, great peace will fill her life.  War, trouble, sickness, or any other distress will become merely a surface disturbance of a deep calm that will exist in your innermost being.  “Thou wilt keep Him in perfect Peace whose mind is stayed on thee.”  (Isaiah 26:3)  Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my Peace I give unto you.”  (John 14:27)

The world is doomed to war, and eventually destruction because of its opposition to God and Biblical principles.  So the singing of Christmas carols and the receiving of Christmas cards may give you a temporary feeling of that “Christmas Spirit” but this is not real peace.  Real peace is found only in Jesus… as Savior and Lord of your life.  It is my sincere desire that you find that peace the angels spoke of on that very first Christmas.