It is cruel, unfair, and unjust for God to SEND someone to Hell. Okay, well, good news! He does not SEND anyone to Hell.
He does not SEND anyone to Heaven. That might not be such good news!
God is not at the door of eternity choosing who gets in to Heaven and who goes to Hell based on His preference. If that were the case, guess what!? NO ONE would go to Hell if it was simply based on God's preference.
JOHN 3:16
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
I love people! I do! I am a people person. I care about humanity. I am a sensitive person and the needs and cares of others truly pulls at my heart strings. I will donate my time, my money, my possessions, but there is NO ONE including myself that I would let my son die for! NO ONE! Humankind would be out of luck! But God loved the WORLD, every single person in the whole world from the beginning of time until the end of time, and He sent His Son Jesus to die on a cruel cross to redeem us and save us. That does not sound like a God that wants anyone to go to Hell.
The Bible tells us from the mouth of God how He really feels. Let's see!
EZEKIEL 18:23
Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the LORD GOD: and not that He should return from His ways, and live?
It does not bring God pleasure that the wicked die in their sins. He would much rather they repent and turn away from their sin and live! He offers eternal life for those who are born again. Maybe you think the wicked is different than a "good person" who just chooses not to accept the free gift of salvation. Um, okay....
So, I have a scripture for that, too!
John 3:36
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
It is so clear! The one who believes in Jesus has eternal life. They are sealed! They are going to live forever! It's a beautiful verse of hope and love! Conversely, the one who does not believe in Jesus will not get to experience an eternity with Him. Instead, the anger of God will stay with that person. Why? Because this is the time to accept Him. Now! Today! You can be a good person but that self-righteousness is as filthy rags in the sight of God. We can never be good enough. That is not a slam or a mean-spirited attack. This is the Truth!
The world says you are powerful enough, you are good enough, you are in charge of your own destiny, you are basically God! But that is a deception from the enemy! So many people are believing the lie! One girl broke my heart! She said was turning her back on God and everything the Bible teaches because she felt it was judgmental. She has been deceived and I pray for her because I know that the subtle messages of society have crept into her heart to teach her that the message of the cross is too judgmental!
NO! The message of the cross is about grace! We do not deserve to go free for the wrong things we have done. We deserve to pay the price of the sin we commit, but Jesus paid the price for our sins. The message of the cross is about love! Jesus loved us so much He was willing to go all the way to the cross so that we would not be punished! The message of the cross is about mercy and forgiveness. Jesus took all our sin on His shoulders and paid the price with His precious blood so we would not have to die and be lost.
We can choose. God will not make the decision for us. He does not have puppet strings so He can jerk us any direction He chooses. No! He wants us to want Him. He does not leave us. He does not forsake us. He does not abandon us. He does not condemn us. He does not hate us. He does not want us to go to Hell. He went to great lengths to make a way so we would not have to.
Would you want someone to live with you for any length of time that did not know you? They just show up one day out of the blue and announce they are moving in. You protest because you do not know them. You have not had any conversations with them. You have not shared meaningful life experiences. You do not know who they are. You would tell them no. You would tell them they could not live with you.
Think about it. Do you want them raiding your refrigerator? Sleeping on your couch or in your guest room? Taking a shower in your bathroom? Hanging out with you and your family? No! You would not invite total strangers to live with you. Well, they are good people though. Still, no! You would not do that! Yet, society says God is not a loving God because He does not want to live with people who have rejected Him over and over again. People who made NO time for Him. People who ignored His voice calling to them. People who chose the cares of this life and the world's pleasures over time with God. People who spent their time blaming Him for everything and never thanking Him for anything. Why would they even want to spend eternity with Him if He is such a mean God?
God is love. He is not just loving; He is love. His nature is love. He is giving. He is merciful. His mercies are new every single morning. He is good. He is kind. He is loyal. He is faithful. He offers unconditional love. He offers grace. He offers peace. He offers joy. He offers life more abundantly. What more do you want? What more can He do or offer or give or be that would make us want to serve and love Him all of our days on this earth and all of eternity?
I love Him. I thank God that He was mindful of me. I thank Him for His love and forgiveness. I thank Him for accepting me and adding me to His family.
If you want to be in His family, it's not too late. As long as you have breath in your body, you have a chance. Just acknowledge you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Repent of your sin. Confess that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross and rose again on the third day and now is at the right hand of the Father. Thank Him for the free gift of salvation and ask Him to be the Lord of your life. You will never regret it. Welcome to the family of God!
I pray something I shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way!
God bless you!
~Bridgett Owens
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