Matthew 25:46
Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life
Reflection: Fire and Hell………
Written By: Pastor Jesse Caro
The last weekend I spent hours and hours burning wood that had fallen from the ice storm a few weeks ago. Large branches 20 feet long fell all over the property… large parts of trees. My chainsaw got a real workout as I cut big chunks of wood to burn. It took most of Friday and Saturday to make a dent in the amount of wood. There is still a sizeable pile of wood, but it will wait. My burn barrel has done a good job and deserves a break.
I really underestimated how hot that fire got at times. I smelled of smoke all of Friday night and two showers did not do the trick at removing the smell of fire and smoke. Then, I noticed that most of the hair on my right arm was burned off… explaining the burn smell that I could not escape. I thought of hell for some reason. I don’t want to weigh in on the debate as to the nature of hell. Is it fire? Is it literally hot? Does God really torture people who deny him, forever? Ten years ago, I would have answered these questions with a manner of boldness and certainty. Today I would say that I am not sure except to say that I am convinced of this: if you deny Christ, you will spend an eternity apart from him. A godless, “goodless,” hell of our own making. This is, at a minimum, the truth. I don’t know if it will be hot, but it will be bad. If you don’t want God in your life now, he will not be part of it then. And that will be bad, in a way that will make my burn barrel seem like a welcomed picnic.
Prayer
Lord, may we not minimize what it is to be apart from you. May we tell others of the awful realities in store for those who live away from God.
