Hell

Do you ever worry about Hell? I mean, going there? Most of the time, I do not. Someone has to mention it. I think more about disappointing God.

 

The Bible does not say much about Hell. Most of it, we made up. We have to trust in "what's next?" God wants it to be wonderful.

 

I have come to believe Hell is now and forever and it is our residence based on the decisions we make without God or against God. Heaven is now and later and it is our residence based on the decisions we make with and for God. So God wants Hell unpopulated and Heaven populated. It is our choice. We populate Hell well. We see that in the world we inhabit – personally and corporately.

 

The Bible tells us that God is love and that perfect love casts out fear. Over the years, this has led me to believe that fear and shame are not in God' game plan. (Guilt is another story. Guilt is an honest feeling we get because we did do something we know to be wrong. God gives us guilt so that we might change. Shame says we are inherently damaged goods. God would not say that.)

 

If I think of love, I am lead to ask myself, "Will I disappoint God with my contemplated action?" Notice that I make what I am contemplating about God and not about me. I don't want to disappoint the God who loves me. If I do think I will disappoint, I know that I am paving my road to Hell – the state of living outside of God's love in the love proof shelter of my folly. I don't like Hell. But I can change that.

 

Are you in Hell today? Have you disappointed God? What can you do to change that? How can you reach out in love to someone around you who lives in Hell but does not need to?