Do you know what will happen to you once you're dead?
It seems pretty harsh, but do you?
I'll tell you why I am asking, even though it brings me heartache.
This past week, I went to a funeral. Funerals are never something I look forward to especially when it is for a nine year old girl who I absolutely loved. My next door neighbor Taybor was killed in a go-kart accident this month and the reality of her abscence from my street is painful.
She was the first person I ever babysat. She was the best kind of kid to babysitt. I will never forget how much she means to me.
But I have to tell you that I know she is with God. And I don't think I could hold myself together if I knew she was not in Heaven. She was a child.
But what about the rest of us that get to experience life beyond third grade? Don't you think we are given opportunities for a reason? Here's the thing: This life is way too short already. And in the midst of this tragedy, I keep having this thought of who's next. Who am I to think a long life is guarenteed for me? Or that I have all the time in the world to tell my friends about Jesus.
What's the rush? The rush is that I genuinely feel sorrow for those of you who don't know him. He has completely restored me. If I couldn't live with him, I wouldn't want to live at all.
We all deserve death, but it is Jesus who conquered death to break a barrier.
The have been so many bible passages that scare the crap out of me and I want you to hear them. I hope they scare you too.
Matthew 7:21-23
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven...Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoer."
You guys- it's about KNOWING Jesus. Sure, you can believe in some higher being out there, but if that's all the spirituality you can handle in this one short life, then you are missing out.
You see, Jesus knows me. He knew Taybor. He knows you. Everything about me and you. The good, the bad, the very ugly. It was our sins that nailed him on a cross. And you better believe that he thought of you there and he loved you. He knows you; try to get to know him.
Luke 13:22-30
Just go read it. The door is narrow to Heaven. Make sure you're going to be let in.
Luke 16:19-31
Have you ever wondered what Hell might be like? Is it even real? Is it even that bad? If it's anything like earth, maybe it would be fun. Wrong.
We have a pretty good idea and it does not look fun at all. Agony. Suffering. Pain. And it never goes away. Can you imagine constant torment? The rich man in this bible story knows how terrible Hell is and begs Abraham to warn his family on earth about the reality of heaven and hell so they won't have to experience the torment. But it doesn't work that way. This story is our warning. The bible is our warning.
Death is not the end for you and me. There is either a life in paradise or a life in torture.
Sometimes I have this image that pops into my head. Instead of the rich man suffering in Hell, I think of the many people I know who do not know God or who don't care. I picture some of my really good friends and I am terrified of them ending up there. I don't want that.
Our days are not promised here on earth. Take action now for you're own sake. I cannot bear the idea of going to a funeral where I don't know if that friend is forever in peace, forever with the Lord. You can know where you'll be when life on earth ends. Figure it out.
So, please, PLEASE, realize that I am not trying to win points for being a better Chrisitan. I genuinely care about you and I can't stand the thought of you in constant torment.
Jesus cares about you too. Get to know him. You won't be disappointed.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
5. Let's Love Him Back
Well, hello there.
I see it has been awhile that I have shared some thoughts with ya'll.
Today, I am going to write about something that I can't completely figure out.
It is mostly just a speculation my sister made and a bit of a sad reality.
And then I found something in the bible that somewhat related that I'll talk about at the end.
Here is the sad reality.
Have you ever noticed that most people tend to experience a rock bottom situation in their life? Like everything is spiraling downward and you are losing it. You reach the deepest and most desperate place. You can't get out on your own at this point. Your only hope is Jesus. Seriously.
I know that scenario all to well because it happened to me the summer before junior year of high school. And I finally just lay there (metaphorically, at the bottom of this pit) knowing that if I let myself continue, I would be laying there the rest of my life. And I had a Jesus experience. He saved me from that pit. I didn't deserve it, but it seems as though I had to reach the ultimate low point in order to recognize that Jesus loved me. And in return, and ever since, I have been able to recognize how much I love him. I have absolute faith in his power because of what I saw him do for my life, for me.
But WHY do we have to reach the bottom before we realize how AMAZING Jesus is?
It's easy for me to know, because I was there. But, why couldn't I have known sooner? Before I suffered through one of the most painful seasons of my life?
My sister and I have had this conversation a couple of times now. She is grateful because she has not yet had this "rock-bottom" experience, but she doesn't want it either. But she sees other people who have these incredible stories of where God delivered these people from their sins and their pits and she sees something in them that she doesn't quite understand. They have become so faithful, so in love with God. And I think that committment and love is what she envies because it doesn't feel the same. We reached a place where we had no choice but to depend on God. And when life had gone pretty well for you for however long you have been alive, it is hard to understand that dependence on God when you have not fully had to yet.
But the question is: Do you have to have an experience that forces you to depend on God with everything you have in order to obtain that level of intimate love with Him?
I want the answer to be no. I want it to be No, you can learn from other people's stories and just trust God with all your heart knowing that He can deliver you from anything if you know he loves you and will take care of you when trouble comes. That is faith, and it is something we're lacking so much in this generation.
So, here is what I found today in none other than the Holy Bible.
Luke 7:36-50. Go read it real quick.
It's basically a Pharisee invites Jesus to dinner and when he gets there, a sinful woman from the town hears he will be there and goes there. She weeps all over his feet, pours perfume on his feet, and kisses them. The Pharisee then says (and I am paraphrasing here) Hey, if you truly are a prophet, Jesus, then you would know what a sinner this woman is. And you would not let her touch you like that. And then Jesus, being the storyteller he is, tells a parable!
About two men who owe a moneylender money, one like $5 and the other $500. (Pretend it is denari or bible money) And the money lender forgives both men of their debt. Jesus then asks the Pharisee which man will love the moneylender more? And he replies correctly that it is the man who owed more.
Jesus then explains that the woman he views as a sinner has had more sins and experienced more forgiveness, therefore she shows him more love. She has experienced more of his grace. But the Pharisee has not shown nearly the same amount of love.
Check this verse out- it scares me: "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." (Luke 7:47)
So, here's the deal. Can it work in reverse? Maybe you haven't experienced that crap time of your life where you're desperate. Maybe instead of needing every ounce of Jesus' grace to forgive you for all your mess ups at that present time, you could instead choose to love much.
I know it hardly makes sense, but it also hardly seems fair that because you have been blessed by God with peace and a pretty decent life, that you can't love God with all your heart. It has got to be up to the individual. And maybe in a reverse way, reaching the bottom is easier because you see firsthand what God can do- and for you. But it comes with pain. If God has chosen to bless you, then try to see that as what God can do. And you don't have to "sin" a lot, to recieve God's grace.
Let's not forget how Christ died for each of us on the cross. That makes us all guilty and sinful. But it makes us all forgiven. And it means He loves all of us. It's up to us to decide if we want to love him back. And how much of our hearts we're willing to give over. So, if you know that pit scene, I hope it has brought you to love Jesus in a way that only us pit-reachers can understand. But if you don't know that, then I would encourage you to "love much" and realize that God loves you by protecting you from the pain in the world. He loves us all; let's love him back.
I see it has been awhile that I have shared some thoughts with ya'll.
Today, I am going to write about something that I can't completely figure out.
It is mostly just a speculation my sister made and a bit of a sad reality.
And then I found something in the bible that somewhat related that I'll talk about at the end.
Here is the sad reality.
Have you ever noticed that most people tend to experience a rock bottom situation in their life? Like everything is spiraling downward and you are losing it. You reach the deepest and most desperate place. You can't get out on your own at this point. Your only hope is Jesus. Seriously.
I know that scenario all to well because it happened to me the summer before junior year of high school. And I finally just lay there (metaphorically, at the bottom of this pit) knowing that if I let myself continue, I would be laying there the rest of my life. And I had a Jesus experience. He saved me from that pit. I didn't deserve it, but it seems as though I had to reach the ultimate low point in order to recognize that Jesus loved me. And in return, and ever since, I have been able to recognize how much I love him. I have absolute faith in his power because of what I saw him do for my life, for me.
But WHY do we have to reach the bottom before we realize how AMAZING Jesus is?
It's easy for me to know, because I was there. But, why couldn't I have known sooner? Before I suffered through one of the most painful seasons of my life?
My sister and I have had this conversation a couple of times now. She is grateful because she has not yet had this "rock-bottom" experience, but she doesn't want it either. But she sees other people who have these incredible stories of where God delivered these people from their sins and their pits and she sees something in them that she doesn't quite understand. They have become so faithful, so in love with God. And I think that committment and love is what she envies because it doesn't feel the same. We reached a place where we had no choice but to depend on God. And when life had gone pretty well for you for however long you have been alive, it is hard to understand that dependence on God when you have not fully had to yet.
But the question is: Do you have to have an experience that forces you to depend on God with everything you have in order to obtain that level of intimate love with Him?
I want the answer to be no. I want it to be No, you can learn from other people's stories and just trust God with all your heart knowing that He can deliver you from anything if you know he loves you and will take care of you when trouble comes. That is faith, and it is something we're lacking so much in this generation.
So, here is what I found today in none other than the Holy Bible.
Luke 7:36-50. Go read it real quick.
It's basically a Pharisee invites Jesus to dinner and when he gets there, a sinful woman from the town hears he will be there and goes there. She weeps all over his feet, pours perfume on his feet, and kisses them. The Pharisee then says (and I am paraphrasing here) Hey, if you truly are a prophet, Jesus, then you would know what a sinner this woman is. And you would not let her touch you like that. And then Jesus, being the storyteller he is, tells a parable!
About two men who owe a moneylender money, one like $5 and the other $500. (Pretend it is denari or bible money) And the money lender forgives both men of their debt. Jesus then asks the Pharisee which man will love the moneylender more? And he replies correctly that it is the man who owed more.
Jesus then explains that the woman he views as a sinner has had more sins and experienced more forgiveness, therefore she shows him more love. She has experienced more of his grace. But the Pharisee has not shown nearly the same amount of love.
Check this verse out- it scares me: "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." (Luke 7:47)
So, here's the deal. Can it work in reverse? Maybe you haven't experienced that crap time of your life where you're desperate. Maybe instead of needing every ounce of Jesus' grace to forgive you for all your mess ups at that present time, you could instead choose to love much.
I know it hardly makes sense, but it also hardly seems fair that because you have been blessed by God with peace and a pretty decent life, that you can't love God with all your heart. It has got to be up to the individual. And maybe in a reverse way, reaching the bottom is easier because you see firsthand what God can do- and for you. But it comes with pain. If God has chosen to bless you, then try to see that as what God can do. And you don't have to "sin" a lot, to recieve God's grace.
Let's not forget how Christ died for each of us on the cross. That makes us all guilty and sinful. But it makes us all forgiven. And it means He loves all of us. It's up to us to decide if we want to love him back. And how much of our hearts we're willing to give over. So, if you know that pit scene, I hope it has brought you to love Jesus in a way that only us pit-reachers can understand. But if you don't know that, then I would encourage you to "love much" and realize that God loves you by protecting you from the pain in the world. He loves us all; let's love him back.
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