Glory in the Highest
(8)
Now there were in the same country shepherds
living out in the fields, keeping watch over
their flock by night.
(9) And behold, an angel of the Lord
stood before them, and the glory of the Lord
shone around them, and they were greatly
afraid. (10)
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be
afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings
of great joy which will be to all people.
(11) For there
is born to you this day in the city of David
a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
(12) And this
will be the sign to you: You will find a
Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a
manger.” (13)
And suddenly there was with the angel a
multitude of the heavenly host praising God
and saying:
(14)
“ Glory to God in the highest, And on earth
peace, goodwill toward men!”
(15) So it was,
when the angels had gone away from them into
heaven, that the shepherds said to one
another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see
this thing that has come to pass, which the
Lord has made known to us.”
(16) And they
came with haste and found Mary and Joseph,
and the Babe lying in a manger.
(17) Now when
they had seen Him, they made widely[d] known
the saying which was told them concerning
this Child. (18)
And all those who heard it marveled at those
things which were told them by the
shepherds. (19)
But Mary kept all these things and pondered
them in her heart.
(20) Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God for all the
things that they had heard and seen, as it
was told them.
The above verses from the Gospel of Luke gives us the
magnificent story of the birth of Jesus.
As familiar as all Christians are with this
story; one of the most famous lines to
Christians and non believers. This line
which has been used in movies, songs and
poetry. Which also use to be the mentality
of the season:
“ Glory to God in the highest, And on earth
peace, goodwill toward men!”
What a beautiful thought "Peace on earth, goodwill
toward men". This once meant:
- Help our fellow men
- Be good to your neighbor
- Help the poor
- Love each other
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This concept actually seems
familiar from other sections of the
Bible. Even from the complete story
of Jesus, we see compassion: From
Him healing the sick to raising the
dead!
There was a time when if you saw
someone hungry, you gave them
something to eat or even invited
them home for dinner. When you saw
someone hurt you took them to the
hospital. You gave to charities,
volunteered at shelters or
hospitals, and gave to food banks.
If you were in the line at the
grocery store, you would let someone
jump ahead of you. This goodwill
towards men, came more obvious from
all people during the Christmas
Holiday. as it
is, people out of work, and the
population of the US concerned about
tomorrow. It seems as "Peace on
Earth, Goodwill towards Men" has
taken on new meaning. Now it seems
to mean "only the strong survive",
as Black Friday has shown us. |
- Pepper spray all who get in
the way of us saving money on a
big screen TV
- Shoot a gun in the store to
worn off anyone trying to get in
front of you
- Carry knifes and guns while
shopping for great deals
- If anybody jumps the line,
beat them to a pulp
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I am sure that when Jesus came to
earth in the flesh, giving up his heavenly
and spiritual comforts, and even went as far
as allowing himself to be crucified. I do not
believe this is what He had in mind for the
idea of "Peace on earth, Goodwill towards
men".
I urge people to wake up, stop your greed,
Love God and His precepts, and yes your
fellow man (your neighbor).
Mark chapter 12
Which Is the First Commandment of All?
(28)
Then one of the scribes came, and
having heard them reasoning
together, perceiving that He had
answered them well, asked Him,
“Which is the first commandment of
all?”
(29)
Jesus answered him, “The first of
all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O
Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD
is one. (30)
And you shall love the LORD your God
with all your heart, with all your
soul, with all your mind, and with
all your strength.’ This is the
first commandment.
(31)
And the second, like it, is this:
‘You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.’ There is no other
commandment greater than these.”
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I pray that everyone has a "Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year", but
more than this; I pray that everyone
comes to Love and Know God as Much
as He Love's and Knows You.
Please keep in mind that
without Jesus and God the Father, this
season is just more
cold winter days. |

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