Merry Christmas to all! I hope that everybody is doing well this holiday.
For some of this, this year has been a difficult one. I know people who are in the middle of divorce, trying to save their marriage from divorce, have lost loved ones this year, and have lost their jobs in the past couple of weeks (we happen to be one of the latter). But no matter who you are, and especially if you have the resources to read this message, we can all be thankful for this day.
I'm very lucky to have a great family. While some of my extended family might bicker, and perhaps this might even keep some of them away from family gatherings this year, I have great parents that are generous with gifts. My kids will wake up to some nice surprises tomorrow, even though I only spent $5 on gifts for the entire family this year.
But I really did get a lot for that $5. I love to talk about my sweet deals and bargains, so this is what I got. For $5, I managed to get...
A bath toy for my ds (a boat that floats around in the water)
A "My Mommy's Tote" book/toy for ds
A "Phonics 4 Babies" DVD for ds
A Cootie game for dd
A dot-to-dot book with CD-ROM for dd
2 AMC Movie passes for dh
I bought the AMC Movie Passes with Coke Rewards Points, bought the bath toy, dot-to-dots, and Cootie game with Toys R Us bucks from the McDonald's Monopoly game (and the $5 that I spent), and I won the My Mommy's Tote and Phonics 4 Babies DVD. Not too bad!
There will be kids that don't have generous grandparents, that don't have parents that can magically turn $5 into $68 worth of gifts, that won't have very much this year. Some people might wake up without much food to eat. While that is a shame, they also have something to be thankful for this Christmas season.
No matter what your circumstance, there is one thing that all people can remember and be thankful for. The reason that we have Christmas in the first place. The little baby that was born... not really on December 25th, but we celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ on this day. His birth was special not only because he was God, but because of what he did for us.
It would be a shame for someone to celebrate Christmas without knowing why the baby Jesus came to this Earth. He came because none of us are perfect. We've all lied. Even my toddler knows how to lie. We've all stolen, taken things that don't belong to us. We've all had a burning, passionate anger towards someone... God sees that sort of hatred towards another person as murder... we're all murderers at heart. So many of us have taken the Lord's name in vain, and that is offensive to God. We've all fallen short of God's high standards... every one of those shortcomings I listed above, those bad things, is sin. A person who has even one sin on their record can not go to Heaven, but must go to a place of eternal torment called hell.
But the good news of Christmas day, is that 2007 or so years ago, Jesus came to this Earth to give us hope. He came to live just like we did, in order to die a horrific death so that our sins could be forgiven, and we would have the hope of one day entering Heaven... if we only ask for forgiveness and repent (or turn away from) our sins.
Everyone, no matter how good or bad this holiday season has been, can have this hope. That is one thing we can all be thankful for on this very special day of the year.
Merry Christmas!
Showing posts with label hell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hell. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Living With Regret
I have a friend who lives with regret. I'll call him John (not his real name). Years ago, he was married to the love of his life and he didn't realize it. He was a little lazy, took things for granted, and she left him.
Fast forward nearly 10 years in time. They both remarried and moved on with their lives. John loves his wife... I think... but he's not extraordinarily happy. They really don't have too much in common... she doesn't get into his hobbies, and he goes along unwillingly to a lot of her activities just to keep her from nagging. If he had the opportunity, he'd probably have an affair.
He found his ex-wife on Classmates.com recently. The guy that she's married to is quite well off, and she still enjoys all the same things that they used to do together. I'm pretty sure that John still loves her. I know for a fact that he regrets not getting his act together back then and keeping her.
I'm worried that John might end up with another regret in his life. He's one of those people that is probably saved, but still wants to live like the world. He doesn't understand why people would spend every Sunday morning in church. He wants to look at the ladies at the mall and lust after them. He's an overall good guy, although a worldly one.
My husband has tried to talk to him, convince him that God wants more for his life than just living and partying. He tells John that if he doesn't change how he's living, he'll end up with a shack in Heaven, when he could have a much bigger house or mansion. John doesn't care. He has his fire insurance policy to keep him out of hell, and that's all he wants.
It's hard to think of this life as the temporary and ridiculously short span of time that it is. But if you think of the 100 (if you have a long life) years or so of life that you may end up with on this Earth, it is such insignificant in the grand scheme of things. In 1000 years, do I want to look back on this life and regret that I wasted so much time? I'm sure that I will to some degree, but I do try to put a little bit of effort to live a good life and do what Jesus wants. In 10,000 years, 100 years on earth is going to seem like a couple months do now. In 1,000,000 years, or 1,000,000,000,000 years, or even a google years from now (that's 1 with 100 zeros after it that I'm talking about, not the search engine)... we'll still be around. What we do today will seem so insignificant, but the time that we waste or live displeasing to God will make a difference in eternity.
I'm sure that Heaven will be great for anyone who ends up there, but will some of us have regrets there? There is no upward mobility in Heaven, and it is for all eternity. In this life you can't control what hand you are dealt. Probably everyone reading this blog is lucky enough to live in a country where many people have computers and almost everyone has electricity. Some people might be rich by their country's standards, some may be poorer. Maybe you were dealt a hand where you are ill all the time. Maybe your parents abused you. Maybe you were born with a brilliant mind and everything always seems to go your way. You can't control those things. That's the hand that God has assigned to you.
What you can control, however, is what hand you will be dealt in eternity. We can't all be missionaries to Uganda. Not every one of us can be a famous preacher. Not all of us can anonymously donate a building to a church. But we can all seek out God's will and do it. What we do today... whether we do what God asks us to do... will determine how we live for all eternity. I think that if God is a fire insurance policy and nothing more, we may have some regrets in the end. Just like my friend does in this life.
Fast forward nearly 10 years in time. They both remarried and moved on with their lives. John loves his wife... I think... but he's not extraordinarily happy. They really don't have too much in common... she doesn't get into his hobbies, and he goes along unwillingly to a lot of her activities just to keep her from nagging. If he had the opportunity, he'd probably have an affair.
He found his ex-wife on Classmates.com recently. The guy that she's married to is quite well off, and she still enjoys all the same things that they used to do together. I'm pretty sure that John still loves her. I know for a fact that he regrets not getting his act together back then and keeping her.
I'm worried that John might end up with another regret in his life. He's one of those people that is probably saved, but still wants to live like the world. He doesn't understand why people would spend every Sunday morning in church. He wants to look at the ladies at the mall and lust after them. He's an overall good guy, although a worldly one.
My husband has tried to talk to him, convince him that God wants more for his life than just living and partying. He tells John that if he doesn't change how he's living, he'll end up with a shack in Heaven, when he could have a much bigger house or mansion. John doesn't care. He has his fire insurance policy to keep him out of hell, and that's all he wants.
It's hard to think of this life as the temporary and ridiculously short span of time that it is. But if you think of the 100 (if you have a long life) years or so of life that you may end up with on this Earth, it is such insignificant in the grand scheme of things. In 1000 years, do I want to look back on this life and regret that I wasted so much time? I'm sure that I will to some degree, but I do try to put a little bit of effort to live a good life and do what Jesus wants. In 10,000 years, 100 years on earth is going to seem like a couple months do now. In 1,000,000 years, or 1,000,000,000,000 years, or even a google years from now (that's 1 with 100 zeros after it that I'm talking about, not the search engine)... we'll still be around. What we do today will seem so insignificant, but the time that we waste or live displeasing to God will make a difference in eternity.
I'm sure that Heaven will be great for anyone who ends up there, but will some of us have regrets there? There is no upward mobility in Heaven, and it is for all eternity. In this life you can't control what hand you are dealt. Probably everyone reading this blog is lucky enough to live in a country where many people have computers and almost everyone has electricity. Some people might be rich by their country's standards, some may be poorer. Maybe you were dealt a hand where you are ill all the time. Maybe your parents abused you. Maybe you were born with a brilliant mind and everything always seems to go your way. You can't control those things. That's the hand that God has assigned to you.
What you can control, however, is what hand you will be dealt in eternity. We can't all be missionaries to Uganda. Not every one of us can be a famous preacher. Not all of us can anonymously donate a building to a church. But we can all seek out God's will and do it. What we do today... whether we do what God asks us to do... will determine how we live for all eternity. I think that if God is a fire insurance policy and nothing more, we may have some regrets in the end. Just like my friend does in this life.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God
Some of you may recognize today's title with a sermon preached by Jonathan Edwards in 1741. If you would like to read it, I am including both a link to the sermon in html and in pdf format. When it was originally preached in 1741, people were crying out to God. It caused quite a stir. Just the fact that people remember this sermon more than 250 years later says a lot about it.
The bridge collapse yesterday made me think of this sermon. Not because it made me think of how we are sinners... although we are all sinners. Not because God isn't angry at us... although he is. I don't think that the bridge collapsing really has anything in particular to do with the fact that we're sinners, or that he's angry, any more than my daughter waking up with a sore neck this morning had anything to do with us being sinners or that he's angry. Maybe it did, but I do not know the mind of God, it's not in my place to say why it happened. In Jesus' day, 18 people died when a tower collapsed. He remarked to the people of his day that the people in the tower were not worse sinners than anybody else. It was just something that happened.
The tragedy yesterday reminded me of "Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God" because of how Jonathan Edwards talked about the suddenness of how our lives end. How God keeps us alive not because we deserve it, but because He is so good. But it is also up to Him to decide when our lives will end. People who are unsaved are kept from the pit of hell on a thread so fragile... if God decides that it is time for them to go, there is nothing they can do to fight it. We might be able to fight a King... usually without success however... but there is nothing that we can do to fight God. We are just worms in his sight.
I reread parts of the sermon last night... it's really long so it's hard to read the whole thing all at once. But his description of hell and wrath really struck me. I found it a little scary.
We have to think of:
So I was thinking about all that. It really scares me. Not that I don't think that I'm saved. I know that Jesus died for me. I have repented and I trust Jesus as my savior. What scares me is that there are people living and dying today who are not going to Heaven. There are people in Hell today that died in Noah's flood... they've been there for thousands of years already, but they have barely begun. There were people yesterday who died, whether by collapsing bridge, war, disease, accidents, or crime... and they do not have the chance to repent. It's too late for them. I am scared for them. I am scared for the people that are headed in that direction.
Those of us who are saved and have Jesus as our Savior do not get off the hook. What we do today will affect our entire eternity as well. Do we teach our kids about Jesus? Do we tell others about Jesus? Do people know that we are Christians? What will Jesus say to us when we arrive in eternity? Will Jesus be pleased with us? Or will he look at us with sad eyes, and tell us of the people that he placed in our pathways that could have gotten saved, but we never bothered to tell them about the love of God.
I know that I'm guilty. I could have done more.
The bridge collapse yesterday made me think of this sermon. Not because it made me think of how we are sinners... although we are all sinners. Not because God isn't angry at us... although he is. I don't think that the bridge collapsing really has anything in particular to do with the fact that we're sinners, or that he's angry, any more than my daughter waking up with a sore neck this morning had anything to do with us being sinners or that he's angry. Maybe it did, but I do not know the mind of God, it's not in my place to say why it happened. In Jesus' day, 18 people died when a tower collapsed. He remarked to the people of his day that the people in the tower were not worse sinners than anybody else. It was just something that happened.
The tragedy yesterday reminded me of "Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God" because of how Jonathan Edwards talked about the suddenness of how our lives end. How God keeps us alive not because we deserve it, but because He is so good. But it is also up to Him to decide when our lives will end. People who are unsaved are kept from the pit of hell on a thread so fragile... if God decides that it is time for them to go, there is nothing they can do to fight it. We might be able to fight a King... usually without success however... but there is nothing that we can do to fight God. We are just worms in his sight.
I reread parts of the sermon last night... it's really long so it's hard to read the whole thing all at once. But his description of hell and wrath really struck me. I found it a little scary.
We have to think of:
- Whose wrath it is. Wow. If my baby gets mad at me because I won't let him roll over on the changing table or chew on electric wiring... who cares, he's powerless. If my 5 year old gets mad at me because I won't let her eat candy for dinner, still not a big deal. If my husband gets mad at me, he can make me feel bad. If I get caught speeding and I make the police angry because I curse at them, they might throw me in jail. If I assaulted the president and he is angry, I'll get in even more trouble. How much more serious is it that GOD is angry with us?
- The fierceness of God's wrath. I'm a person, so I really don't understand God's goodness too much. But I suppose if I made someone, gave him life, gave him air to breathe and food to eat, gave him friends, clothes, a nice bed to sleep in, and in America wonderful little gadgets like televisions and computers... if I was God... and I was good, and I made someone and gave him all those things... and in return he broke all my laws, used my name as a curse word, hated me with a venomous passion, hated the people that loved me... I think that I would be torqued. And since I am not good and can not understand how good God is... I can't understand how fierce his anger is at us as a society (and everyone in the world, for that matter). I'm thinking that it's probably pretty bad though.
- The misery that people in hell suffer. I don't understand how powerful God is... but I know that it only took 6 days to create the Heavens and the Earth. If it only took 6 days to create the universe... that we in the thousands of years that humankind has been on earth have only begun to explore and barely understand... I do not want to even come near to imagining the misery of people in hell. It's scary to even think about.
- The wrath is everlasting. One person made this analogy about Heaven: if a bird picked up a grain of sand and flew that grain of sand to the nearest star, and then came back and picked up another grain of sand and carried it to the star again (and so on) until every last piece of dirt on earth was transplanted on the star, we wouldn't even be getting ready for breakfast yet. We would just be getting started in Heaven. Likewise, the people in Hell will just be getting started as well. They have no hope of ever escaping. No matter how old you end up being... no matter what you go through on Earth... it is nothing in the blip of time known as eternity... whether we are in an eternity of eternal paradise or eternal damnation.
So I was thinking about all that. It really scares me. Not that I don't think that I'm saved. I know that Jesus died for me. I have repented and I trust Jesus as my savior. What scares me is that there are people living and dying today who are not going to Heaven. There are people in Hell today that died in Noah's flood... they've been there for thousands of years already, but they have barely begun. There were people yesterday who died, whether by collapsing bridge, war, disease, accidents, or crime... and they do not have the chance to repent. It's too late for them. I am scared for them. I am scared for the people that are headed in that direction.
Those of us who are saved and have Jesus as our Savior do not get off the hook. What we do today will affect our entire eternity as well. Do we teach our kids about Jesus? Do we tell others about Jesus? Do people know that we are Christians? What will Jesus say to us when we arrive in eternity? Will Jesus be pleased with us? Or will he look at us with sad eyes, and tell us of the people that he placed in our pathways that could have gotten saved, but we never bothered to tell them about the love of God.
I know that I'm guilty. I could have done more.
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