“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners
and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war
against your soul.” -1 Peter 2:11.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord
and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that
you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do
not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against
the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present
darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
places.” -Ephesians 6:10-12 (ESV)
Today, September 21, has been set aside
as “World Peace Day” or “The International Day of Peace.” The
day was established by a resolution in 1981 in the United Nations
General Assembly sponsored by the United Kingdom and Costa Rica. The
first observance was held September 21, 1982. Since then, the
International Day of Peace has been devoted to commemorating and
upholding the ideals of peace. A review of yearly themes and emphases
show the importance placed on peace.
This plea came from UN
Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon as we begin the 2016 observance: “Let
us all work together to help all human beings achieve dignity and
equality; to build a greater planet, and to make sure no one is left
behind.” The theme for 2016 is “The Sustainable Development
Goals: Building Blocks for Peace.” From now through 2030, are
specific yearly goals, 17 Sustainable Development Goals (which can be
accessed online, with explanations and pictures). These cover
poverty, hunger, health, education, gender equality, water and
sanitation, energy, Infrastructure-Industry-Innovation, reducing
inequalities among countries, sustainable cities and communities,
consumption and production, climate action, life below water, life on
the land, peace and justice, and global partnerships to reach
developmental goals.
When we think about our history as a
people, we remember that God created man and gave him the mission and
responsibility of caring for the earth (see Genesis 1:27-31). Then
man, who was created to have power of choice and made in the image of
God, made wrong choices, and subsequently we have been suffering the
consequences of sin and what it can do in people and in our
environment. We are as “strangers” upon the earth because for
those of us who love the Lord, our eternal dwelling is in heaven. But
while we are here, we have responsibilities to interact with each
other, to use our God-given mind and ingenuity to live together
peaceably, and to seek to make our earthly dwelling productive and as
peaceful as possible. Paul wrote in Ephesians of a battle of major
proportions, our wrestling against “cosmic powers in present
darkness.” He urged us to “put on the whole armor of God” (see
Ephesians 6:10-20). We seek to legislate peace-attaining laws and set
developmental guidelines to help us achieve worldwide peace. But it
is one-by one, individually, that we achieve “peace, and love and
faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Eph.
6:23-24). - Ethelene Dyer Jones 09.21.2016
No comments:
Post a Comment