Hey All,
Think about the person you like least. Better yet think about the person you hate the most. Now think about hell, if you're anything like me you are currently thinking about the person you hate most in hell.
Does it make me a bad person if I don't care if people go to hell versus heaven?
Yes.
My dad's dad died the winter of 2010 and I can remember my dad talking about him going to hell. Not out of a hatred for his dad, but as my dad looked back on his dad's life and his personal experiences with his dad he came to the conclusion he probably went to hell. My Grandpa was an alcoholic, who had zero knowledge or thought towards fiscal responsibility. He was a physically abusive dad and if not a physically abusive husband I wouldn't doubt that he was an emotionally or mentally abusive husband. I remember my dad recalling some very destructive stories from his childhood and I could remember some stories from my own life where my Grandpa wasn't there. Even after knowing and experiencing parts of my grandpa's story I can remember praying that he would go to heaven, no matter where he's been, or what he's done that God would see him to heaven's gates.
In the last two months I've had conversations with friends about their systems of belief, and after both told me they're atheist or believe in a God but not necessarily the God or the Jesus thing, I walked out thinking their on their own path and I'm on mine. It's not my job to tell them who to be, or where their path should lead. They have to sort out their own business.
true, butI've been feeling convicted, I'm reminded of a youtube video posted by Penn Jillette, and he poses the question how much do you have to hate someone so that you wouldn't tell them about Jesus. He then says if you saw someone and you could see they were going to get hit by a truck, as the truck got closer if they didn't move you would tackle them out of the way, and getting run over is nothing compared to heaven and hell.
There are so many of us Christians out there that must hate the world soooo much. If we truly believe in who God is and if we believe in heaven and hell, we have to be sharing the good news. I'm not saying it's your responsibility to convert people, but open a door the worst thing that happens is they say no. Share your story and how God has worked in your life, why you believe, the life of Jesus as a teacher and the life of Jesus as a savior. 1 Corinthians 3:6, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow." Sometimes we'll see direct influence in the lives of people, but a lot of the time we're just called to plant a seed.
I asked you to think about the person you hate most, and now I ask would you wish that fate upon them? If we have one life to lead, what direction will we choose, to harbor hate and sin, or love? I say we choose love. Isn't that where God is calling us, what if we decided to love people so much that we offered them a chance for something greater? So please, open your eyes, open your hearts, and allow God to show you people that need to hear the good news. The severity of hell is far worse than the evil we see here today, it's time to be aware of God's call in our lives to reach out and impact our communities, coworkers, friends and family. If we truly believe what we say we do, then it's time to plant some seeds.
WIT
-J
