Peace Rejected: The people and governments of the world cry for peace, but they rejected God’s Son, the Prince of Peace. This Christmas find true peace in Jesus. 

 

 

 

 

2MefromHim Devotionals

Peace Rejected

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:5-6

A battered and bleeding body hung on a cross between two criminals, naked to the world. The tiny child whose mother laid Him in a manger met the most horrible death ever devised by man, rejected and scorned. Not a picture of peace. Not a picture of hope.

The most peaceful man who ever lived died betrayed and alone for a world that rejected everything He came to accomplish. The Prince of Peace died to bring life, but we don’t like to see ourselves in need.

This world demands we be strong and in control, but the most powerful man who ever lived was wrapped in strips of cloth and laid in a box for feeding farm animals. His parents were humble people, poor and lacking power or wealth. They commanded no respect, offered no fine home, owned little beyond the clothes on their backs. Yet the God of the universe chose them to raise His Son.

Jesus grew to manhood eking out a living with His hands in a small town among the poor. Nothing screamed He was destined for greatness. Nothing hinted He was no ordinary man. When He spoke the truth of God religious leaders rejected Him, His neighbors ridiculed Him, and His family reprimanded Him. Jesus held the hope of all humanity, but no one saw peace in His bleeding, nail-pierced hands.

The violence of Calvary seems out of place at Christmas, but the gifts Jesus received at birth foretold His death. Gold is a symbol of divinity. Frankincense foretells holiness and righteousness. Myrrh is a bitter herb used in burial preparation, symbolizes suffering and affliction. Jesus was born to die, yet nothing about His death speaks of peace.

When Jesus was born, the angels called him “God in the highest”, and proclaimed “peace on earth”. Those who long for peace this Christmas must come to the Cross at Calvary. We must confess the deeds He called sin. Accept the forgiveness He offers. Believe the hope He died to give.

The Prince of Peace meets us at the foot of the Cross as well as in the stable. When we accept the One the world rejected, we find the peace the world can never give.

© Copyright by Norma Gail Thurston Holtman, November 17, 2015

About the author:

Norma Gail is the author of the contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, winner of the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 41 years. They have two adult children.

Connect with Norma:

Website: www.normagail.org

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/Norma-Gail/e/B00ILHXBAK/

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQbZIoC_JSE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNormaGail

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Book Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Land-My-Dreams-Norma-Gail/dp/1941103170