Tis the season....
For a lot of things...
Baking Christmas treats.
Buying gifts.
Singing carols.
Watching ridiculous Christmas movies with predictable endings.
Hanging lights, tinsel, garland, bangles and baubles on sweet smelling trees.
Signing greeting cards...
...and, for some, ringing bells in front of malls, big box stores, and groceries, which always remind me of the hymn I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day (in fact, I hear the bell-ringers, and immediately I begin humming).
Did you know I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day was written by Longfellow during the heat of the Civil War?
It almost makes the song more significant and relevant today, knowing the current situation in Ukraine and Israel, when I hear these words:
And in despair I bowed my head
There is no peace on earth, I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It isn't surprising, during a season when the Prince of Peace entered the world as a tiny baby, that folks pray for "peace on earth" to reign, more than any other time of year!
We all long for peace;
and, we all have different ideas about how peace can be achieved.
One of those random "ideas" ran across my social media this week in the form of a little video promoting gun reform.
I watched the "story" unfold with eyes ever widening, my mouth hanging open, and my head shaking, "NO!"
The one-minute (exactly) "advertisement" (I'm not sure what to call it) offended me deeply.
No, it wasn't the encouragement for our country to make strides in the arena of gun control that offended me - not in the least.
What offended me were the insinuations: words, accusations, allegations - never spoken; but, loudly proclaimed.
The gist of the video is that if you are a passionate, sold-out, committed, praying Jesus-follower, then all you ever do is offer up "thoughts and prayers," but never act in a way that transforms government or saves lives.
This ad pointed blaming fingers at folks who pray. 🙏
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The scene unfolds.
A child falls into a swimming pool.
The mother rushes to the side of the pool, and falls to her knees praying. 🙏
The father comes out, looks at the child face down in the pool and also prays. 🙏
Neighbors stop by, some even sit in the pool, sipping an umbrella drink, and all of them look deeply concerned, and say, "We'll be praying for you." 🙏
Or, maybe, they give a passing glance as they say: "Thoughts and prayers!" 🙏
In the meantime, the child drowns.
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BUT...
Here comes the transition.
My offense left me irritated ALL! WEEK! LONG!
There was no peace in my heart whenever this blatant post popped into my head over the last few days.
..........UNTIL, the Lord got a hold of my heart with deep conviction (see what the Lord used below).
It's irritation like mine, going unchecked, unconfessed, and given over to the Lord that leads to the line in the above song that says, "for hate is strong and mocks the song, of peace on earth, good-will to men."
As personal irritation grows into anger; and, anger grows into hatred; and, hatred, turns to retribution; and, retribution becomes...well, whatever it becomes...THERE WILL NEVER BE ANY PEACE.
That's why Jesus, the Prince of Peace, came.
He came to start with my heart.
Jesus came to give me, what I could not gain on my own, PEACE WITH GOD.
This is the greatest gift EVER!
PEACE WITH GOD leads me to deal with my own momentary lapses of irritation, and make them right before the Father...before I do something wrong before man.
We will only be peacemakers when we fully walk in peace-with-God.
One day, Jesus will return and when He does He will right all wrongs.
Evil will see an end.
Hatred will cease.
Mocking will become WORSHIP.
In the meantime, what we all need is PEACE WITH GOD.
This is the peace that only Jesus can give.
And, so we must close with the final few lines to I Heard the Bells:
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead, nor doth He sleep
The wrong shall fail
The RIGHT PREVAIL
With peace on earth, good-will to men.
God is not dead; and, He longs for us to first find peace with Him, so one day we will be able to fully enjoy peace on earth.
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This morning as I read this prayer, the Lord began to show me MY HEART.
I am responsible for me, especially and always, first to deal with every irritation that comes my way, so I will walk in peace-with-God as a peacemaker.
From Every Moment Holy, Volume 1:
I bring to you, Lord, my momentary irritation,
that you might reveal the buried seed of it - not
in the words or actions of another person, but
in the withered and hypocritical expectations
of my own small heart. Uproot from this
impoverished soil all arrogance and insecurity that
would prompt me to dismiss or disdain others,
judging them with a less generous measure than
I reckon when judging myself.
Prune away the tangled growth
of my own unjustified irritations, Jesus,
and graft to my heart instead your humility,
your compassion,
your patience,
your kindness,
that I might bear good fruit in keeping
with your grace.
AMEN!
Amen🙏
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