A lady meets an old friend of hers on the street and asks how he’s doing. He tells her that he’s doing okay but that his church is looking for a new pastor.
“But why?” the old lady asks.
“Our pastor, all he talks about is hell. We’re just tired of listening to him.”
They parted ways.
A couple of weeks later they meet again. The old lady asks the man if they found a new pastor yet.
“Why yes we have. We love him and think he’s great,” was his reply.
“What does he talk about?” asked the curious old lady.
“Hell,” was his response.
Surprised, the old lady inquired, “But, I thought you said you were looking for a new pastor because all the old pastor talked about was hell. Now your new pastor talks about hell, and you’re happy. Why?”
“Simple,” he explained. “Our old pastor talked about hell as if he were glad people were going. He would spend time telling us who was going, and seemed to take glee in the thought of people being eternally separated from God. Our new pastor talks about hell, but his heart is that no one should go. He offers up Him who gave His life to make us acceptable to God. He shares the free gift of salvation that’s found only in Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God. He’s grieved by those that don’t accept Him, and rejoices for all who freely accept this most precious Gift that God has freely offered to us.”
A gift is only ours when we accept it. If we have to earn it, it’s not a gift, it’s a payment. We could never earn it.
Heaven is open for “all who call upon the name of the Lord, who believe on His name.” Read the whole book of John for some insight into that. Read Romans for a glimpse of who is righteous…hint, there are none righteous, no not one.
God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Ezekiel 33:11
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
Proverbs 24:17
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 2 Pet 3:9
Love your enemies.
Peace and Love,
Blessings and Grace,
DJ GlenMC
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6 comments:
I think God is extremely grieved when people refuse to accept his offer of salvation. Sometimes I can see him pleading with the lost holding out his hands saying "please take it! You can not escape damnation without it, please, please, please!!! It's a gift"
Some things to ponder, after Jesus died on the cross he descended into hell and preached to the captives there (I can not find the verse, but I remember reading this somewhere). He also, while he was becoming our sin, experienced what hell really is, He knows first hand. Another thing, since God is everywhere all the time, He is also present in Hell as a witness to the condemnation of those who rejected Him.
Pretty heavy stuff.
Um...I was kind of thinking something different. I see God dreaming up His creation, knowing that most would reject Him, and cause suffering to His children. But for those few that would accept His gift of adoption by faith, He was will to create, suffer, die, and put on flesh of His own creation. He knew who would reject Him, but because of those who would accept Him, He went ahead created, enduring the pain, just so He could spend eternity with us.
I don't know about you, but that is something to contemplate on.
Did that make any sense? It was kind of long.
God knows it all. It is hard for my mind to comprehend the vastness of information that God knows.
Before man invented the plane, God created the birds. Before man invented sonar, God created the bat. Before man invented glow sticks, God created the lightning bugs. Man steals his ideas from God's creation.
Who is going to accept Jesus or who will reject Him is not for me to know. That is something God knows. I am called to love my enemies. Not to rejoice when our enemies fall.
As Peter wrote, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." 2 Pet 3:9
The day will come, and I believe it will be soon, that all will have been offer the free gift of salvation and either accepts or rejects it. I so long for the day Jesus comes back, but I so also want for everyone to understand this Great Love that God has for us. Many will reject it, thinking they can do it on their own.
God created us so He can pour out His love on us. But in the midst of this fallen world, God is looking for, and desiring those who love Him in return, not because of what He can give, not because of His power, but just simply because He loves us.
Grace, so amazing
Grace, so free
Grace poured out freely
Grace poured out for me...
Blessings and Peace
Love and Laughter.
DJ GlenMC
Now see, I think my point got miscommunicated. Takes too much to do on blog, plus i need visual to help illustrate.
The whole, not for me to know thing, we are square with each other on that one.
It's hard to explain something that is going on inside your head. Writing it down can get confusing sometimes. You may think you understand what I say, but what I said is not what I meant...LOL...
Clear as mud?
Be blessed. Be a blessing.
Jesus is good. God is good.
DJ GlenMC
don't you hate that!
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