You have all seen the famous Linus scene in A Charlie Brown Christmas where he tells us what Christmas is all about. There is just one problem. Linus is quoting from the King James Version (KJV) and the KJV gets it wrong.
Glory to God in the highest and Peace on earth, good will toward men is not a correct rendering of the verse. Proper Biblical exegesis shows that but so does history.
The correct translation is Glory to God in the highest and Peace on earth to men of good will.
The difference is far from being merely semantic. Where there is no good will, there cannot be peace. War, of some sort will always be the result. When men of good will negotiate with men of good will on the behalf of men of good will, peace can flourish.
Our will is what we each possess in our own purpose. God can influence your will and so can Satan but you are a free creature. You alone will decide which voice you are going to follow
If Satan cannot violate your free will and God is unwilling to, men certainly cannot.
A temporary peace can be achieved when both sides mutually understand that the alternative is mutual destruction and have a healthy fear of the possibility of that outcome. However, a peace platformed on such base self-interest can only persist until one side perceives that it can gain an advantage or if the desire for vengeance becomes so strong that even the threat of self-annihilation doesn't hinder its pursuit.
Thus, pride is the absence of good will and humility its absolute foundation. Good will thinks always of what is holiest, what is rightest and not what is most satisfying or self-beneficial.
True, the message of Christmas is a message of peace on earth. True, the graces of Christmas are sufficient to bring it about. The saddest fact remains. We do not have peace on earth because people do not want it enough.
Divisions in families and in nations all stem from the same indifference to grace and are a rejection of the Christmas message We do not give glory to God when we revile His creation and when we reject the peace He offers, and this day proclaims.
Say a prayer today for those who sacrifice peace at the altar of pride in whatever form it takes- Greed, Lust, Vengeance or whatever.
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